All Residents at 'Big 5' Hospitals to Submit Resignation Letters by the 19th

Work Stoppage After 6 AM on the 20th

All residents at the 'Big 5' hospitals have submitted their resignation letters and will cease working.

Medical staff are moving at a university hospital in Seoul on the 15th, as medical organizations oppose the government's plan to increase the number of medical students and announce simultaneous rallies across the country. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

On the 16th, Park Dan, president of the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA), announced via social media that after discussions with representatives of residents from the 'Big 5' hospitals, all residents at these hospitals will submit their resignation letters by the 19th and will stop working after 6 a.m. on the 20th.

The 'Big 5' hospitals refer to Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, Samsung Seoul Hospital, Asan Medical Center, and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. KIRA and representatives from these hospitals reportedly held an emergency meeting from 11 p.m. the previous day until 2 a.m. that day near Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, to discuss countermeasures against the government's plan to increase medical school admissions.

KIRA stated that an emergency response committee, including representatives from the hospitals as members, will be formed to survey whether other training hospitals will participate in submitting resignation letters in the future.