Feb. 18

• ●Gov't urges doctors against striking over med school quota hike (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  The government on Sunday urged doctors to refrain from going on strike, stressing that the medical school enrollment quota hike is a timely issue to be addressed, amid anticipated collective action by doctors in protest against the decision.
  
  

• ●Gangwon to pursue 4-day workweek (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  Gangwon Gov. Kim Jin-tae stressed the significance of implementing a four-day workweek to help the state "break free from the sever issue of population decline."
  
  

• ●Govt. asks doctors to remain by patients amid looming collective action (The Korea Herald)
  South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Sunday called for doctors to refrain from taking collective action amid their looming strike in protest of the government's decision to raise medical school enrollment seats.
  
  

• ●Govt. urges restraint as junior doctors plan joint action (The Korea Herald)
  The Korean government on Sunday issued a public plea urging doctors to abstain from joint action that could disrupt nationwide medical services.
  
  

• ●Where does Korea stand on assisted death? (The Korea Herald)
  Lee Myung-shik, 63, is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of acute myelitis, a condition he developed after retiring from his public service job in 2019.
  
  

• ●Govt. orders hospitals to submit doctors' work logs amid looming protest (The Korea Herald)
  South Korea's health authorities recently ordered trainee doctors to submit their daily work logs amid their looming collective action in protest of the government's decision to raise medical school enrollment seats, officials said Sunday.

Feb. 19

• ●Govt. to fully allow telemedicine services in case of doctors' collective action: PM (The Korea Herald)
  Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Monday that the government will fully expand telemedicine services if doctors walk off their jobs in protest of the government's plan to increase medical school admissions.
  
  

• ●Trainee doctors set to resign en masse in protest of plan to increase medical student enrollment (The Korea Herald)
  Trainee doctors at major general hospitals in Seoul were set to submit their letters of collective resignation Monday, in an escalation of their protest against the government's plan to boost the number of medical students.
  
  

• ●Over 4 in 10 young people say success unattainable without parents' support: poll (The Korea Times)
  More than four out of 10 young people believe that success is unattainable without support from their parents, according to a poll released on Sunday.
  
  

• ●Tensions between doctors, government reach crescendo (The Korea Times)
  Tensions are high as trainee doctors have been planning mass resignations until Monday over the government's plan to increase the quota for medical students.
  
  

• ●Gov't, doctors wage war of nerves as protest resignations mount (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  tension between the government and doctors in Korea is escalating amid concerns of medical chaos as interns and residents began submitting their resignation letters on Monday to protest the hike in enrollment quotas at medical schools.
  
  

• ●Busy schedules, financial burden keep young Koreans out of the doctor's office (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  Four out of 10 young Korean adults don't see a doctor even though they are sick, according to a recent poll, as more youths neglect their health due to their busy schedules and the financial burden.
  
  

• ●Teens no longer believe marriage to be essential, survey says (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  Only three out of 10 teens believe they must get married, less than half the percentage in a similar poll conducted 11 years ago.
  
  

• ●Medical chaos looms as 13,000 trainee doctors near mass walkout (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Monday ordered all trainee doctors to continue providing their medical services ahead of their mass strike the following day in protest of the government's plan to hike the enrollment quota at medical schools.
  
  

• ●'Accommodating 2,000 new med students impossible': deans of med schools (The Korea Herald)
  Some 40 medical universities have called for governments to retract their original decision to add 2,000 seats to the country's medical school enrollment quota next year from the current 3,058, claiming that "the plan is impossible to accommodate considering the conditions of current education in a short period."
  
  

• ●Trainee doctors take collective action against gov't medical policy (The Korea Herald)
  Trainee doctors began submitting their letters of collective resignation Monday in protest against the government's plan to boost the number of medical students, while the health ministry ordered all of them to keep providing medical treatment.
  
  

• ●Reality check: How diverse is Korea really? LGBTQ+ and society (The Korea Herald)
  According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2020, there has been a notable shift in public opinion in South Korea regarding the acceptance of homosexuality.
  
  

• ●Police vow to probe doctors' joint action (The Korea Herald)
  The police will investigate doctors who undertake joint action in protest of the government's plan to increase the annual student enrollment quota at medical schools from 2025, Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency told reporters Monday.
  
  

• ●Patients on edge as doctors prepare for hospital walkout (The Korea Herald)
  Medical institutions were in a frantic dash Monday morning as junior doctors at Seoul's "Big Five" hospitals moved to tender their resignation letters en masse Monday and walk out of their jobs on Tuesday at 6 a.m. in protest against the government's planned hike in medical school enrollment quota.
  
  

• ●1 in 4 over-70s still working in S. Korea (The Korea Herald)
  About 1.55 million people aged 70 and above were still in work as of January 2024, accounting for 24.5 percent of South Koreans in that age group.
  
  

• ●Health ministry orders all trainee doctors to keep providing medical treatment (The Korea Herald)
  The health ministry on Monday ordered all trainee doctors to keep providing medical treatment, as they moved to submit their letters of collective resignation in protest against the government's plan to boost the number of medical students.
  
  

• ●In protest of med school quota increase, Korean med students plan collective leave of absence (Hankyoreh)
  Medical students across Korea have vowed to take a collective leave of absence to protest the government's policy efforts to increase the country's medical school admission quota.
  
  

• ●Over 700 Korean residents, interns tender resignations to protest med school expansion (Hankyoreh)
  Interns and residents at five major hospitals in Seoul announced plans for their en masse resignation by Monday to protest the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's decision to raise the cap on medical college admissions.
  
  

• ●Rights agency urges Korea to bridge digital divide for older people (The Korea Times)
  Korea should develop and distribute senior-friendly digital devices and education programs to protect the rights of older adults so that they can access information and bridge the digital divide amid the ongoing digital transformation, the national rights agency said, Monday.
  
  

• ●Seoul hopes egg freezing can help Korea baby crisis, experts disagree (The Korea Times)
  As Korea's birth rate hits fresh lows, Seoul city officials have a plan to help--subsidized egg freezing.
  
  

• ●Seoul City to extend operating hours of city-run hospitals in event of doctors' walkout (The Korea Times)
  The Seoul city government said Monday it will extend the operating hours of city-run hospitals and community healthcare centers and take other emergency measures if a looming doctors' walkout materializes.
  
  

• ●Hospitals on alert as trainee doctors prepare to strike from Tuesday (The Korea Times)
  Major hospitals and health authorities are swiftly transitioning into emergency mode as thousands of trainee doctors prepare to walk off their jobs on Tuesday to protest the government's plan to increase the number of medical school students starting next year.
  
  

• ●Editorial: South Korea, only nation that strikes over med school expansion (The Chosun Daily)
  Amid opposition from trainee doctors to the expansion of medical school quotas and their resulting protest, major hospitals are adjusting survey and admission scheducles, contributing to heightened patient anxiety.

Feb. 20

• ●Trainee doctors set to stop work in protest over med school quota hike (The Korea Herald)
  Trainee doctors were set to walk off the job Tuesday after submitting their letters of collective resignation in protest against the government's plan to boost the number of medical students.
  
  

• ●Trainee doctors set to stop work in protest over med school quota hike (The Korea Times)
  Trainee doctors were set to walk off the job Tuesday after submitting their letters of collective resignation in protest against the government's plan to boost the number of medical students.
  
  

• ●Korean government orders the suspension of medical license, as doctors prepare for strike (The Chosun Daily)
  The medical field in South Korea is experiencing chaos as resident doctors, including interns and residents, who are opposing the expansion of medical schools, signed resignations on Feb. 19.
  
  

• ●Over 6,000 trainee doctors resign as Korea's medical crisis deepens (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  Over 6,000 trainee doctors submitted their resignation letters as of Monday night to protest the hike in enrollment quotas at medical schools.
  
  

• ●Chaos ensues after 6,400 trainee doctors resign (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  More than 6,400 trainee doctors in Korea resigned on Tuesday to protest the government's decision to increase the enrollment quota at medical schools, sowing chaos at hospitals nationwide.
  
  

• ●Junior doctors pull the trigger, stage walkout despite warning (The Korea Herald)
  Thousands of trainee doctors submitted their letters of collective resignation in protest against the government's plan to boost the number of medical students on Tuesday, aggravating fears of a major void in public health.
  
  

• ●[News Focus] Why do Korean doctors oppose having more physicians? (The Korea Herald)
  Thousands of medical doctors, the essential force for the care and treatment of criticial patients, left their hospitals Tuesday in protest of the government's policy to expand the number of medical school students.
  
  

• ●Nurses urge trainee doctors to return (The Korea Herald)
  A group of nurses in Korea urged doctors to come back to their duties, stressing that its their duty to protect patients.
  
  

• ●Human rights body to fund research on foreign workers' conditions (The Korea Herald)
  The National Human Rights Commission of Korea announced Monday that it plans to fund research on the working conditions of migrant workers, to expand the statistics available specifically on migrant worker deaths and potential support systems.
  
  

• ●Nearly half of special medical equipment over 10 years old (The Korea Herald)
  The South Korean government on Tuesday said it will revamp the supervision and maintenance system for the medical equipment in the country, as recent data shows that some 42.6 percent of what is deemed "special medical equipment" here has been in use for 10 years or more.
  
  

• ●Amid mass resignations at Korean hospitals, the ill and their caretakers worry about delayed treatment (Hankyoreh)
  "Out son has a severe disability caused by a brain injury, so we wanted to have him in inpatient care. ..."
  
  

• ●As anxieties mount, Korea threatens to suspend licenses of doctors behind collective action (Hankyoreh)
  Fears of a medical care vacuum are being borne out as interns and residents at Korean hospitals resign en masse in protest of the government's policy to increase the number of medical students nationwide.
  
  

• ●In protest of med school quota increase, Korean med students plan collective leave of absence (Hankyoreh)
  Medical students across Korea have vowed to take a collective leave of absence to protest the government's policy efforts to increase the country's medical school admission quota.
  
  

• ●Patient safety at risk as junior doctors resign en masse (The Korea Times)
  Hospitals across the country were plunged into chaos, as surgeries were delayed and appointments canceled, following the resignation of 6,415 junior doctors by Tuesday to protest the government's plan to increase medical school admissions quotas.
  
  

• ●PM pleads mild-symptom patients to choose clinics over large hospitals amid severe disruption (The Korea Times)
  Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday appealed to patients with midl symptoms to visit nearby clinics rather than general hospitals where trainee doctors walked off their jobs in a collective resignation campaign to protest the government's plan to increase medical school admissions.
  
  

• ●S. Korea's hospitals overwhelmed at dawn as resident doctors stage nationwide walkout (The Chosun Daily)
  Seoul hospitals experienced an influx of patients earlier than usual on the morning of Feb. 20.
  
  

• ●Ongoing pandemic fallout forces South Korean small business shutdowns (The Chosun Daily)
  Mr. Hwang, 41, has struggled to keep his karaoke establishment in Sejong open since last summer due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Feb. 21

• ●Concerns over public health heighten as trainee doctors walk off job for 2nd day (The Korea Herald)
  Surgeries have been canceled and some patients were forced to be transferred to other hospitals as trainee doctors stopped working for the second day in a row Wednesday in protest of the government's plan to boost the number of medical students.
  
  

• ●[Graphic News] 53% of Gen Z workers want 4-day workweek (The Korea Herald)
  Although the implementation of a four-day workweek is slowly on the rise globally, with new studies showing it to have overall positive effects on both the company and the workforce, it still remains a hot topic in South Korea where many businesses are hesitant to accept a change in the norm.
  
  

• ●Local governments look to international schools amid declining population (The Korea Times)
  Local governments have set their sights on establishing international schools as a strategy to counter the challenges caused by low birthrates in the nation as people are being drawn to bigger metropolitan areas, such as Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.
  
  

• ●Trainee doctor resignations top 70 percent (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  Some 70 percent of trainee doctors have resigned since last week to protest the government's plan to hike medical school enrollment quotas.
  
  

• ●Number of surgeries halved as hospitals suffer from strike (The Korea Herald)
  The number of surgeries being performed at Seoul's "Big Five" hospitals was reduced by 30 to 50 percent due to a staff shortage over junior doctors's resignation en masse on Wednesday, putting patients' health at risk amid escalating confrontation between doctors and the government.
  
  

• ●Past successes behind doctors' confidence (The Korea Herald)
  Despite the public's negative response and the government's stern warning against doctors leaving hospitals in protest of a drastic medical school quota expansion that would add 2,000 new spots per year, Korean doctors have remained adamant, expressing confidence that they would not back down until the plan is withdrawn.
  
  

• ●[Editorial] Interruptions in care are an indictment of Korea's warped medical system (Hankyoreh)
  Medical centers throughout Korea were left scrambling to provide care and forced to turn some patients away on Tuesday as interns and residents at major hospitals stayed home from work, having submitted their resignations to protest new policies raising the cap on admissions to medical colleges.
  
  

• ●'My mother could die': Korean fear consequences of indefinite delays for surgeries, treatment (Hankyoreh)
  "How can they examine her and then say they won't do the operation?"
  
  

• ●8,753 medical students file for leave of absence in protest of admission quota hike (The Korea Times)
  An additional 7,620 medical students from across the nation have filed for leave of absence in protest against the government's plan to drastically expand the medical school enrollment quota, the education ministry said Wednesday.
  
  

• ●Civic group files complaint against striking trainee doctors (The Korea Times)
  A civic group filed a complaint Wednesday against trainee doctors, who have collectively resigned over the planned hike in medical school enrollment quotas, and leaders of a doctors' association, asking police to investigate them for violating the medical and other laws.
  
  

• ●S. Korea struggles with ongoing 'missing babies' tragedy (The Chosun Daily)
  The Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea (BAI) reported last June that some 2,000 babies born between 2015 and 2015[sic] in South Korea had not been registered by their parents despite having birth records.
  
  

• ●718 'missing children' dead, 2,547 unaccounted for under police probe in South Korea (The Chosun Daily)
  The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) in South Korea investigated 9,603 children born between 2010 and 2014 who were not registered at birth and discovered that 469, approximately 5%, had passed away, according to the ministry on Feb. 20.
  
  

• ●2,000 vs. 350: what number is appropriate for med school quota hike? (The Korea Times)
  The government and doctors are in a fierce standoff over two pivotal questions: whether the country is experiencing a shortage of doctors, and whether the government's decision to increase the annual enrollment quota at medical schools by 2,000 slots next year is justified.
  
  

• ●Patients' frustration grows as trainee doctors stay away from hospitals for 2nd day (The Korea Times)
  Patients vented frustration and complaints over delayed or postponed treatment schedules Wednesday as general hospital trainee doctors in Seoul and elsewhere stayed away from their jobs for the second day in protest of the government's plan to hike the medical school enrollment quota.
  
  

• ●Defense chief urges military hospitals to provide active support for civilian patients (The Korea Times)
  Defense Minister Shin Won-sik on Wednesday called on military hospitals to provide active medical support to civilian patients in need as major hospitals suffer disruptions amid trainee doctors' massive walkout.

Feb. 22

• ●Hospitals struggle to cope with patients as trainee doctors stop work for 3rd day (The Korea Herald)
  Major general hospitals in Seoul and elsewhere struggled to cope with patients Thursday, as thousands of trainee doctors left their worksites for the third day in a row in protest of a plan to boost the number of medical students.
  
  

• ●Gay couple urges top court to uphold equal health insurance benefits for same-sex partnerships (The Korea Times)
  A gay couple urged Korea's Supreme Court to rule in favor of offering equal state benefits for same-sex couples and stop discrimination based on sexual orientation.
  
  

• ●Key doctors' group to hold mass protest on March 3 (The Korea Herald)
  The major lobby group for doctors said Thursday that it would stage a massive rally in Seoul with all of its members from across the country on March 3 to protest the government's move to significantly increase the number of seats at medical schools.
  
  

• ●Korea recommends work from home when fine dust levels high (The Korea Herald)
  The Ministry of Environment on Thursday said that it iwll recommen that people work from home whenever emergency dust reduction steps are taken, starting next month.
  
  

• ●Korea says it will seek arrest warrants for doctors who don't return to work (Hankyoreh)
  The South Korean government warned that medical interns and residents who are taking part in collective action in opposition to the government's plan to raise the cap on admissions at the country's medical schools could face arrest warrants and criminal investigations.
  
  

• ●'No one to treat us': Korean hospitals are dumping patients, forcing nurses to use PTO (Hankyoreh)
  "We were told that my husband had to be discharged since there weren't enough doctors. But his wounds just wouldn't heal at home, so that's why we're here."
  
  

• ●Korea's suicide rate falls slightly in 2022: data (The Korea Times)
  Korea's suicide rate inched down in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic, though it remained at the highest level among major advanced nations, data showed Thursday.
  
  

• ●Trainee doctors' work stoppage grows despite gov't warning of legal action (The Korea Times)
  A work stoppage by trainee doctors grew Thursday in spite of the government's warning of taking legal action against their collective action in protest of a plan to boost the number of medical students.
  
  

• ●6 out of 10 medical students nationwide file for leave of absence in collective protest (The Korea Times)
  Six out of 10 medical students in the country have filed for a leave of absence, with more than 3,000 newly joining the collective action protesting the government's plan to raise the medical student quota.
  
  

• ●How long will patients be held hostage in doctors-government dispute? (The Korea Times)
  An intensifying confrontation between doctors and the government over the latter's decision to increase the number of medical students next year is causing significant disruptions to medical services, pushing patients to the rear. 

Feb. 23

• ●Anger grows over canceled surgeries, delayed treatments as doctors quit (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  Complaints from patients are growing this week over canceled or delayed surgeries as more trainee doctors in Korea resign to protest the government's decision to increase medical school enrollment quotas.
  
  

• ●Govt. raises health care crisis level to 'serious' (The Korea Herald)
  The government raises its four-scale health care service crisis guage to the highest level of "serious" Friday in response to the departure of doctors i their collective action against the planned increase in the medical school admission quota.
  
  

• ●Environment ministry considers flexible work system to tackle heavy fine dust days (The Korea Times)
  A flexible work system, including telecommuting or taking leave on days with high concentrations of fine dust, may be implemented starting this March, according to the environment ministry, Thursday.
  
  

• ●S. Korea raises medical crisis level to highest as chaos escalates (The Chosun Daily)
  The chaos in South Korea's medical field intensified on Feb. 22, the third day after most residents responsible for surgeries and hospital wards resigned en masse and vacated their positions.
  
  

• ●Telemedicine services to be expanded as 'golden hour' of medical crisis looms (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  The government announced on Friday that telemedicine services would be expanded to all hospitals as trainee doctors continued walking off the job to protest the medical school enrollment quota hike.
  
  

• ●Health crisis hits peak warning level as nearly 10,000 trainee doctors resign (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  The government on Friday raised the national health crisis level to the uppermost tier of "serious" as the mass resignation of trainee doctors continued nationwide in protest of the medical school enrollment quota hike.
  
  

• ●Anger grows over canceled surgeries, delayed treatments as doctors quit (Korea JoongAng Daily)
  Cmplaints from patients are growing this week over canceled or delayed surgeries as more trainee doctors in Korea resign to protest the government's decision to increase medical school enrollment quotas.
  
  

• ●Medical services disruption escalates with 27 surgeries canceled (The Korea Herald)
  South Korean hospitals are experiencing further disruption amid a growing walkout by the country's junior doctors, who perform surgeries and provide other treatment at major hospitals.
  
  

• ●Health care crisis hits highest level amid doctor walkout (The Korea Herald)
  The South Korean government said it has elevated the health care crisis level to the highest position, as of Friday at 8 a.m., in response to the collective walkout of junior doctors as they show little signs of returning.
  
  

• ●Koreans are being turned away from emergency rooms, sent to small hospitals unable to treat them (The Hankyoreh)
  On Thursday, 51-year-old Seoulite Park Yeong-hee rushed to Severance Hospital's emergency room with her mother, who was suffering from sudden severe abdominal pain and bleeding.
  
  

• ●Despite slight improvements, Korea still ranks near bottom in OECD for life satisfaction (The Hankyoreh)
  Although quality of life in Korea has improved somewhat, the country still ranks near the bottom of major economies, a new study finds.
  
  

• ●Korea raises public health crisis level to 'severe' as country's trainee doctors tender resignations en masse (The Hankyoreh)
  As the number of medical residents and interns in Korea who have submitted resignations in opposition to a plan to increase placements at medical schools has increased to 9,275, the government has elevated the public health and medical crisis to the highest level of "severe."
  
  

• ●Telemedicine fully allowed at hospitals as doctors' mass walkout enters 4th day (The Korea Times)
  The government decided Friday to fully extend telemedicine services at hospitals on a temporary basis as fears of a worsening medical system crisis have grown over the prolonged walkout by junior doctors nationwide.
  
  

• ●Imminent expiration of striking junior doctors' contracts fuels concerns (The Korea Times)
  Concerns are mounting over the potential escalation of nationwide disruptions in medical services as the collective resignations of junior doctors continue, with many of their training contracts set to expire in the coming weeks.
  
  

• ●South Korea's workation visa: a solution to population crisis? (The Chosun Daily)
  In a report dated Feb. 22, CNN stated, "Some South Korea experts believe these visas are about more than just ease of travel-they're a possible avenue for increasing the workforce in a country with a devastatingly low birth rate."
  
  

• ●South Korea's elderly struggle with adult children who won't move out (The Chosun Daily)
  South Korea's "kangaroo tribe"-unmarried men and women in their 30s and 40s who haven't moved out of their parents' homes-is causing concern among families.