Tens of thousands of doctors join a mass rally against the government’s plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 slots and a policy package supporting essential medical services.

The Emergency Measures Committee of the Korean Medical Association (KMA) emphasized that this rally will be “the starting point of a long journey in opposition to government policies” and urged all doctors to participate.

The government has warned that starting from March, non-returnees will face a minimum of a 3-month license suspension and additional legal actions, such as investigations and prosecutions.

The number of doctors in the country relative to the size of the population is among the lowest in the developed world.

As of February 25, 9,006 trainee doctors at various hospitals have walked off their jobs.

There are approximately 13,000 trainee doctors in South Korea.

Agencies/Aljazeera.