The Korean Medical Association(KMA), the country’s largest doctors’ group, said Sunday that it will join a proposed consultative body only if the government scraps its plans to increase the medical school admissions quotas for 2025 and 2026. 

KMA spokesperson Choi Anna announced the group’s position and urged the government and both major rival parties to take immediate steps to end the nation’s health care crisis. 

The spokesperson said the KMA cannot trust the government, which recently proposed the formation of a consultative body with the participation of both rival parties and the medical community. 

The Office for Government Policy Coordination said Saturday that the government can only renegotiate the quotas for 2027 and beyond, Choi pointed out, saying the KMA will not join what she called “meaningless talks.” 

Choi said the first step toward normalizing health care services would be to produce a reasonable plan through the consultative body, saying that should happen before the body discusses how to increase the quotas while still guaranteeing that medical students receive proper education and training.