The South Korean government has initiated steps to potentially suspend the medical licenses of thousands of trainee doctors who have continued to defy orders to return to work. About 9,000 trainee doctors are protesting against the government’s plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 next year. The health ministry began on-site investigations at teaching hospitals on Monday to enforce legal actions against those responsible for the ongoing strike.

The trainee doctors’ strike, now in its 14th day, challenges the government’s strategy to address the shortage of medical professionals in rural and specialized areas. The doctors argue that the increase in medical school quotas will degrade the quality of medical education and inflate patient care costs, calling instead for improvements in specialist compensation and legal protections against medical malpractice lawsuits.