South Korean doctors holds a mass rally against medical policy

Doctors take part in a rally to protest against government plans to increase medical school admissions in Seoul, South Korea, March 3, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

SEOUL (Reuters) - Thousands of South Korean doctors held a mass rally on Sunday against government plans to increase medical school admissions, defying official calls for trainee physicians who had also walked off the job in protest to return to work.

Up to 40,000 doctors joined the rally, demanding the government scrap the plan, according to the Korean Medical Association (KMA), which represents private practitioners and had organised the protest.