A group representing the nation's private practitioners has denounced the government’s plan to designate other hospitals to operate during the Chuseok holidays should there be a shortage in emergency medical institutions.

In a statement to members and the public on Monday, the Korean Medical Association(KMA) vowed to take all necessary legal actions to protect its members against the government’s move to have private hospital personnel to work during holidays, describing it as forced and unjust labor.

The KMA highlighted that the Ministry of Health and Welfare warned of penalties for institutions that do not comply with its directive to remain open during the holidays. 

The association asserted that doctors, too, have rights, including the right to rest during holidays, and emphasized that rest is essential for ensuring patient safety.

The government plans to designate more than four-thousand hospitals to work during the Chuseok holidays, or roughly 400 more than this year’s lunar New Year holidays.