S. Korea PM asks doctors not to quit over planned student increase

SEOUL: South Korea’s prime minister pleaded with doctors not to take people’s lives hostage, a day before scores of trainee doctors are expected to quit to protest a plan to increase medical school admissions and the number of physicians.

Trainee doctors at the country’s five biggest hospitals, all in Seoul, have said they would tender their resignation today, raising concerns about the impact on medical service as the system relies heavily on them for emergency and acute care.