This forced non-urgent, less complicated patients to no longer be treated at tertiary care facilities, leading to financial concerns at large university hospitals, as well as public anxiety about timely treatment.

[1] The healthcare system struggles with doctor shortages, overworked staff, low reimbursement rates, and insufficient government support.

The South Korean government labeled medical professionals' advocacy as "illegal collective actions," declaring a healthcare crisis and launching a smear campaign to portray them as a self-serving cartel.

[3] However, in recent years the total fertility rate (TFR) has plummeted, leading some researchers to suggest that if current trends continue, the country's population will shrink to approximately 28 million people by the end of the 21st century.

[10] Examples include Chungnam Seosan medical center being unable to hire enough radiologists despite offering an annual salary of 420 million won (about $300,000)[11] with 4.5 working days per week and Gangwon Sokcho medical center increasing the annual salary of emergency medicine specialists to 420 million won ($300,000).

[12] South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol argued the basic medical system is collapsing, with pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, and other specialties lacking manpower and thus treatment being delayed.

Low fees necessitate subsidization from non-insurance treatments or high-volume, low-margin practices, without compensating doctors for their extensive training and experience.

Medical malpractice criminalization rates are extremely high, repelling young doctors from high-risk critical care.

Residents often work up to 100 hours a week, and university hospitals depend on cheap labor due to strict fee controls.

[15][16] The insurance system with low reimbursement rates encourages high turnover in hospitals and hardly dissuades patients from second opinions.

South Korea offers excellent medical services despite its low burden of public health insurance premiums.

This resulted in governance failure, with unnecessary severe conflicts among doctors, pharmacists, civil society organizations, media, and other stakeholders.

The planned quota increase immediately caused repulsions[clarification needed] from residents and interns, which claim the welfare of trainee doctors must be improved first.

Simultaneously, they are expected to pursue profitability by delivering high-quality care through competition and operating as independent, self-sustaining entities following private business principles.

In response, the head of KMA, Lim Hyun-taek, posted on Facebook a screenshot of a news report of newly graduated Somali doctors captioned "Coming Soon.

[43] South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol denied that the quota increase would degrade medical education.

[45] South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo chaired a meeting to acknowledge a large portion of the doctors still absent.

The punishment included sanctions in employment records and a three-month license suspension delaying their physician qualification by more than a year.

[47][contradictory] A Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters was established, headed by the Prime Minister, to coordinate the government's response to the crisis.

[63] The Education Ministry helped prevent boycotting medical students from failing semesters due to insufficient attendance by allowing measures including:[64] At an August 16 National Assembly parliamentary hearing, Health and Welfare Minister Cho Kyoo-hong planned additional reforms to increase medical school admissions in early September.

[68] A fresh medical student becoming a specialist takes six-years studying, a one-year internship and three to four years of residency.

[citation needed] In late February, many doctors resigned collectively,[71] and many medical undergraduates suspended their studies.

[74] Senior doctors and professors from 20 hospitals planned to resign on March 25 in solidarity,[75] but only started working reduced hours on that day.

[86] President Yoon gave an hour-long nation address to reaffirm the quota increase and appealed to the public:[87] As the president, I regret not being able to promptly address the public inconvenience ... All rational people will agree that the country faces a shortage of medical doctors.The government labeled the collective criticism and social advocacy of medical students, residents, and doctors as "doctors' illegal collective actions," declaring a national healthcare crisis of the highest risk level.

The "Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for Doctors' Collective Actions," led by the Prime Minister, was established.

Pro-government advertisements featured the President's commitment, and included promotional videos in movie theaters displays on public buses and subways.

Screens inside apartment elevators criticized "emergency room ping-pong" and "pediatric clinic open run".

Doctors and the medical community were villainized as a self-serving cartel, a characterization cemented by the President in a national address.

[99] This raised concerns about health risks to overworked medical school professors covering for resigning residents.