100 Days of Physician-Government Conflict: Between Rhetoric and Reality

The protest that was triggered by the government' s announcement on February 6, 2024, to increase medical school seats by 2,000 has now surpassed 100 days.It has led to doctors resigning from hospitals and students taking leaves of absence 1.When I was asked to write this article in mid-April, I assumed the situation would have been resolved, or at least stabilized, by now.I was looking forward to sharing my experiences as the dean of a local national medical school.But as we all know, that has not happened, at least as of late May.Despite the Seoul High Court' s ruling on May 16, which dismissed the injunction to enforce the expansion of medical schools, the likelihood of doctors and students returning to hospitals and schools remains uncertain.This article does not aim to summarize the situation or propose a solution; instead, it captures the sentiments and perspectives of a dean at a regional national medical school amidst the turmoil of a political conflict 2.