SEOUL — Lim Hyun-taek, president of the Korea Medical Association (KMA), announced on Monday the start of an indefinite hunger strike aimed at urging government intervention to resolve a prolonged disruption in public health services. The strike occurs amidst a continuing walkout by trainee doctors protesting a government initiative to increase medical student admissions.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the health system is nearing collapse, compromising patient safety, as junior doctors have been on strike since late February. The protest is a response to a government plan that proposes to expand the number of medical school entrants by approximately 1,500 next year, aimed at addressing a shortage of healthcare providers in critical areas. Lim criticized the government's portrayal of doctors, suggesting it has exacerbated the standoff, leading to a six-month absence of trainee doctors and medical students from hospitals. He has called on both the president and the parliament to take decisive action to end what he describes as a crisis in the medical sector.