An opening has emerged for potential resolution — or at least an opportunity for dialogue — between the government and the medical community, after nearly 11 months of conflict.

Amid the ongoing political turmoil, a key development drew attention: senior government officials issued apologies for the medical crisis and for the warning of punishment directed at striking doctors, including junior ones, who did not return to their hospitals within 48 hours as outlined in the Dec. 3 martial law decree. Acting President Choi Sang-mok and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho both expressed regret and took steps to ease the situation. They allowed junior doctors to return to their hospitals with fewer barriers and granted postponements of their compulsory military service. Choi also said the government was open to flexible negotiations on the enrollment quotas for the 2026 academic year, starting from scratch, and reaffirmed his apology for the medical crisis. The education minister further clarified that the decree's provision to punish junior doctors did not reflect the government's official stance.

Doctors should recognize that the government has softened its previous position, which was initially championed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, to increase the enrollment quota by 2,000 over five years starting with the 2025 academic year. The timing of this shift is significant. The Korean Medical Association has recently appointed a new president, Kim Taek-woo, who took office on Tuesday. However, Kim tempered expectations for a swift resolution, stating that the government must present a more concrete master plan for this year's medical curriculum before any progress can be made.

With the acceptance of an additional 1,497 medical students this year, medical schools will undoubtedly face challenges, including potential confusion and the need for adjustments, as they try to accommodate more students than there are professors or classrooms to manage. Despite these obstacles, Kim must exercise strong leadership to move toward normalizing medical services. His primary challenge may lie in uniting the diverse opinions of junior doctors, medical students, and established doctors. Junior doctors, who have been hesitant to return to their training hospitals, should take time to consider the government's actions and statements more carefully.

The true measure of whether physicians are willing to move forward may depend on how many junior doctors apply for an ongoing recruitment of over 9,000 positions — for both first-year trainees and those still completing their second to fourth years. Senior doctors, the leadership of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), and medical school professors must use compelling and relevant arguments to persuade them to return to the field and continue their training.

At this juncture, the medical community should reconsider its position that an expanded enrollment quota is a deal breaker for any potential agreement. While the president, who remains suspended from his duties after imposing martial law on Dec. 3, did push through a unilateral increase of 2,000 seats annually, all parties must reflect on the larger issue: how to address the declining number of doctors in critical areas such as pediatrics and in rural or remote regions. Medical reform is just one of many sectors in need of change, and with Korea rapidly becoming an aging society, these issues are becoming increasingly urgent. The medical community cannot simply oppose any increase in the number of doctors. The government has shown a willingness to restart talks from scratch and the medical community should be prepared to engage in that dialogue.

The medical community should not rest on its past successes in offsetting or resisting government reform attempts, such as the 2000 separation of doctors' and pharmacists' roles in prescribing and dispensing medication, or the 2020 push to expand the enrollment quota. Instead, both sides should focus on the future, aiming to improve services as the social fabric of Korea evolves.