SEOUL, The ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Tuesday urged the medical community to come forward for dialogue to end a prolonged walkout by junior doctors, a day after opposition leader Lee Jae-myung pledged active cooperation on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s medical reform push.

Rep. Yun Jae-ok, the PPP’s floor leader and the party’s acting chairman, made the remarks in a meeting at the National Assembly, saying the doctors’ organizations “should not underestimate the significance” of the first-ever meeting between Yoon and Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party.

The talks, held Monday, marked the first between the two since Yoon took office two years ago. The two sides differed on many issues, but Lee promised to cooperate actively on Yoon’s medical reform push centered on significantly raising the medical school admission quota.

“Medical reform has now officially become a common task for the ruling and opposition parties as Lee has expressed that he shares the same views as the government o
n the inevitability of the medical school quota,” Yun said.

Yun urged the doctors’ groups to “come forward” for dialogue, saying the medical conflict has now reached a critical point that the public can just barely tolerate.

The issue of medical reform has caused serious disruptions to hospital operations after thousands of young doctors walked off the job in February in protest of the medical school quota hike decision.

Source: Yonhap News Agency