[Column] What’s really motivating Korea’s young doctors to walk off the job?
EnglishMar 24
South Korean President Calls Striking Doctors a 'Cartel'
The Facts
South Korean Pres. Yoon Suk-yeol reiterated his desire to increase annual medical school admissions by 2K, and he went on to accuse the doctors in the ongoing strike against the proposal of being a "cartel."
Yoon said the 2K figure was "not a random figure we came up with" but rather an "essential" policy to "combat shortages and treat a fast-aging society."
The Spin
Narrative A
South Korean doctors have pulled these schemes for decades, and the government never punishes them. Despite a visible decline in medical personnel, hospital leaders and medical school professors never hold students accountable for breaking the law. Whether the government proposes an admissions increase of 2K or 500, the medical establishment enjoys its elite status too much to prioritize patients over their desires.
Narrative B
This strike is not just over admissions rates but rather a response to deeper issues with the national healthcare system. Despite life expectancy and the economy growing, the government has not increased compensation for doctors working at national hospitals. This has led to an exodus from medical care and toward cosmetic fields. If the government gave the pool of quality doctors the resources, there would be more health providers across the country.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that South Korea's fertility rate will be at least 0.69 in 2032, according to the Metaculus prediction community.