South Korean President stands firm as doctors strike weighs on his party prior to elections

South Korea’s President promised Monday not to back down in the face of fierce protests by doctors aiming to derail his proposal to dramatically raise medical school enrollment, describing their walkouts as “an illegal collective action” that posed “a grave threat to our society.”

Approximately 12,000 medical interns and residents in South Korea have gone on strike for six weeks, resulting in hundreds of canceled operations and other treatments at university hospitals. Many senior doctors at their teaching schools have resigned in support of their actions, despite the fact that they continue to serve patients.

Officials said they want to increase the annual medical school cap by 2,000 from the current 3,058 to create more doctors to care for the country’s increasingly aging population. Doctors argue that schools cannot handle such a sudden spike in enrollment and that it will eventually harm the nation’s medical services.

READ ALSO: Son emerges Spurs’ fifth-highest goalscorer

However, detractors argue that doctors, who are among the highest-paid professions in South Korea, are just concerned that an increase in the number of doctors will result in reduced future salaries.

According to public surveys, the majority of South Koreans favor the government’s efforts to increase the number of doctors. However, commentators warn that many people are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the prolonged conflict between the government and doctors, which threatens to harm governing party candidates ahead of next week’s legislative elections.