Despite last-minute pleas ahead of the Chuseok holiday weekend, doctors’ groups have again made it clear that they will not join the proposed four-way health care talks with the government and the rival parties.

The Korean Medical Association, the Medical Professors Association of Korea, the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences and five other doctors' groups released a joint statement Friday rejecting the call for dialogue. 

The statement said talks are premature, since the government has no plans to reverse course after increasing the medical school admissions quota for the 2025 academic year.

To protest the government's decision to increase medical school admissions and thereby increase the supply of doctors in the nation, resident doctors resigned en masse in February.

The prolonged absence of trainee doctors prompted some emergency rooms to reduce their service hours, causing concern over disruptions in emergency medical services ahead of the five-day Chuseok thanksgiving holiday, when local clinics will not operate.