South Korea's longest-ever doctors' strike is finally winding down after 18 months, as interns and residents begin trickling back to their hospital posts. The mass walkout, involving over 10,000 young doctors and thousands of medical students who abandoned their classes, kicked off in February last year in response to then-president Yoon Suk Yeol's plan to boost medical school admissions by about 65% over five years.
Doctors pushed back, arguing the proposal would dilute healthcare quality without fixing the deeper issues of overwork and inadequate pay. As Bloomberg explains, doctors expressed concern that upping medical school admissions wouldn't resolve "the shortages in essential yet less lucrative specialties such as emergency and pediatric care"—the New York Times notes some doctors in those fields log grueling 80-hour weeks for just $3,000 a month.
With neither side budging for months, the government ordered the striking doctors back to work, threatened their licenses, and even floated lawsuits for those who refused. Yet most held out, straining the health system. Surgeries and treatments were delayed, nurses stepped into doctor roles, and military physicians were dispatched to civilian hospitals. Public frustration boiled over, with anger aimed at both the government and the doctors for putting patients in jeopardy.
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The stalemate finally began to break after President Yoon was ousted for declaring martial law in April. The new administration, under President Lee Jae Myung, dialed back the tough stance, welcoming doctors back without penalty and restoring the 2026 admissions cap to its original level. Negotiations over future quotas are still in play. Young doctors are resuming work on a staggered schedule this week.
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