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Agence France-Presse

<p>SEOUL, South Korea — <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">South Korea will allow foreign doctors to work in its hospitals after a rigorous vetting process, the prime minister said Friday, as a months-long strike by junior medics shows no sign of resolution.</span> </p><p>Thousands stopped working on February 20 to protest government plans to train more doctors, causing chaos in hospitals.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/21/why-are-south-korean-trainee-doctors-on-strike-1657">READ: Why are South Korean trainee doctors on strike?</a></div><p>The government, which has already offered some concessions in a bid to end the standoff, said this week that doctors with foreign medical licenses would be allowed to practice in the country, in a bid to ease service disruptions.</p><p>After the move was announced, the head of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), Lim Hyun-taek, shared a screenshot of a news report on newly graduated Somali doctors with the comment: &quot;Coming Soon.&quot;</p><p>The post, which was later removed, prompted widespread online criticism, and was highly inappropriate and &quot;clearly racist&quot;, Kim Jae-heon, the secretary-general of an NGO advocating free medical care, told AFP.</p><p>The post &quot;exploited Islamophobia and stereotyping against developing countries&quot;, he said.</p><p>Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday the government will make sure to &quot;have a thorough safety system to prevent unqualified doctors (with foreign licenses) from treating our people&quot;.</p><p>The government is locked in a protracted standoff with the junior doctors, who have refused to return to their hospitals, despite the health ministry offering last month to scale back proposed medical training reforms for 2025.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/4/1/korea-doctors-protest-2039">READ: Doctors&#x27; protest in South Korea enters 7th week</a></div><p>The striking doctors have rejected the offer, demanding instead that the plan to create more doctors -- which the government says is essential to combat shortages and care for a rapidly aging population -- be scrapped entirely.</p><p>The fight over the government&#x27;s medical plan is currently before the Seoul High Court, with doctors and medical students seeking to prove it is unnecessary, and the health ministry seeking to uphold the government plan.</p><p>An administrative court has already ruled in the government&#x27;s favor, and the Seoul High Court is expected to deliver its decision next week, according to South Korea&#x27;s Yonhap news agency.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Etf8VhOfxck?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>South Korea will allow foreign doctors to work in its hospitals after a rigorous vetting process, the prime minister said Friday, as a months-long strike by junior medics shows no sign of resolution.</p>

South Korea will allow foreign doctors to work in its hospitals after a rigorous vetting process, the prime minister said Friday, as a months-long strike by junior medics shows no sign of resolution.

Seoul turns to foreign doctors as medical strike drags on

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Seoul turns to foreign doctors as medical strike drags on

Agence France-Presse

Published May 10, 2024 02:19 PM PHT

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Updated May 24, 2024 11:39 AM PHT

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