Unionized medical workers demanding an increase in nursing personnel and the reinforcement of public healthcare continued a general walkout for the second day on Friday.

According to the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union, over 45-thousand members at 140 medical facilities, including around 20 high-level general hospitals, are participating.

The union is demanding that the government expand a system in which caregiving is handled completely by medical professionals, institutionalize a one-to-five ratio in the number of nurses to patients, and offer fair compensation for workers who toiled during the pandemic.

The government, on its part, is considering a return-to-work order, accusing the union of breaching permissible grounds for collective action under union-related laws.

Despite efforts to prevent a medical vacuum through the dispatch of personnel in essential services, there were reports of cancellations or delays in nonemergency departments.

The union is expected to decide Friday afternoon on the collective action for the weekend and next week.