Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated regarding the expansion of medical school quotas, "The government clearly maintains the position of not being fixated on numbers."
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency on the 7th at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Prime Minister Han said, "The government holds a flexible stance on all issues, including the medical school quota issue."
He explained, "I hope to have discussions with the medical community in a flexible manner," adding, "If it is realistically difficult to reach a unified proposal within the medical community, a presidential direct Medical Reform Special Committee can be quickly formed as a social consultative body to discuss the matter."
Earlier, on the 5th, at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting presided over at the Government Seoul Office regarding doctors' collective actions, Prime Minister Han said, "We will continue to engage in dialogue flexibly but while upholding principles."
The government initially held the position that expanding the medical school quota by 2,000 was the minimum scale, but as collective actions by the medical community, including residents, continued, it expressed a willingness to approach the issue flexibly.
President Yoon Suk-yeol stated in a speech on the 1st, "If a more reasonable and rational plan is brought forward, it can be discussed at any time," adding, "If the medical community insists on reducing the increase from 2,000, they should present a unified proposal to the government based on solid scientific evidence, rather than resorting to collective actions."
Regarding the high inflation, Prime Minister Han said, "The effects of the measures have not yet been sufficiently reflected on the ground," and added, "Starting this month, the measures will be harmonized to fully realize the effect of stabilizing prices."
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