South Korean Doctors Disrupt Hospital Services in Protest

Thousands of trainee doctors in South Korea have joined a protest walkout against a government plan to admit more students to medical school, leading to overcrowded emergency rooms and the cancellation of scheduled surgeries at major hospitals. The government aims to increase medical school admissions to address healthcare needs in remote areas and an ageing society, but the protesters argue that South Korea already has enough doctors and call for better pay and work conditions. The walkout has led to a warning from authorities about the danger to seriously ill patients and the possible arrest of those responsible, while the health ministry reports that 7,813 doctors have left their jobs in defiance of a government order to stay at work.