ISTANBUL

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday urged health reforms amid a boycott by trainee doctors over a medical school admission quota increase.

Lee said the problem should be approached from a long-term perspective, with authorities focusing on reforms that prioritize public health, according to the Yonhap News.

Lee said that this issue "should not be approached from the perspective of serving the interests of a particular individual or organization, but rather from the standpoint of determining what kind of medical system is most desirable for protecting the health rights of the public," as cited by the media outlet.

The South Korean president also urged dialogue with trainee doctors to resolve the issue.

Thousands of trainee doctors have walked out of their jobs, and many medical students have also boycotted their classes since February 2024 to protest the government's medical reform, which planned to increase the medical school admission quota by 2,000 starting in 2025.

However, even though the decision has been reversed by the previous government, many trainee doctors and medical students have not yet fully returned to hospitals and schools.

The boycott marks one of the longest medical protests in the world.