The Abyss from Which We Must Arise Despite Our Pain: The 2024 Medical Crisis and the Moral Injury of Medical School Professors

The continuing standoffAs of June 12, 2024, the medical crisis in South Korea continues unresolved.On June 9, the Korean Medical Association (KMA) convened a National Medical Representatives Meeting and announced a full strike set for the 18th.Shortly before this declaration, the Prime Minister, in a national address, expressed "deep regret that some members of the medical community and doctor groups are discussing additional illegal collective actions, jeopardizing the lives of citizens." He argued that "the extreme claims of a few should not destroy the social trust that has been built over decades between the medical community and patients 1." In his speech, the Prime Minister misrepresented the collective stance of the majority of doctors, represented by the KMA, as the views of a minority.He also misled the public by presenting unresolved issues as if they had been settled.The 2024 medical crisis was sparked on February 6 when the government announced a plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 seats to expand the healthcare workforce.In reaction, resident doctors started resigning on February 19, and students submitted petitions for leaves of absence.The Minister of Health and Welfare then issued directives to commence work, maintain medical services, and refuse resignation letters.Concurrently, the Minister of Education met with university presidents and declared that leaves of absence would not be approved, threatening corrective actions for non-compliance.Most resident doctors who left have not returned, and many students continue to be absent from their studies.Could this be attributed to a conflict between the prosecutor' s sentence and the doctor' s diagnosis?Resolute in its decision, the gov-ernment proceeded with the increase in medical school seats 2, and the Korean Council for University Education set the 2025 medical school quota at 4,567, marking an increase of 1,509 seats-the first large-scale expansion in 27 years.Nonetheless, the medical community has consistently maintained that the increase in medical school seats needs to be reevaluated from the outset.As the standoff reached its fourth month unresolved, the government, on June 4, approved the resignation letters of resident doctors and suspended administrative penalties for those returning.The government' s strategy included a poison pill provision that pressured resident doctors and led to widespread academic probation among students.Medical school professors started to discuss and plan strikes, prompting the government to issue a directive for medical services and a report on the strike declaration.Despite these developments, resident doctors and students continue to be absent from their training and educational sites.