A patient walks past a sign informing visitors of delayed emergency services amid a protest by trainee doctors at a hospital in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

Political parties and the government are working to establish a consultative body for negotiations with doctors' groups to resolve Korea's months-long medical crisis, which originated from disputes over an expansion in medical school admission quotas.

Given the rare consensus between the ruling and opposition parties on this issue, there are growing calls for doctors to participate in the talks. The nation's medical services are approaching collapse due to extended staff shortages.

As of Sunday, the presidential office, the ruling People Power Party (PPP), and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) have agreed to establish a four-party group for dialogue. This group will address issues such as medical school admission quotas, as hospitals continue to struggle with labor shortages following a walkout by trainee doctors in February.

Previously, even the PPP and the government had diverged on how to resolve the deadlock, as the presidential office rejected ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon's proposal to delay the medical school quota increase for 2026. However, the presidential office and the health ministry have since revised their position, saying they are open to discussions and will participate in the consultative panel.

In a rare agreement with the ruling bloc, the DPK also decided to participate in the discussion body.

With support from the political sphere and the government, the PPP aims to finalize the formation of the consultative body before the Chuseok holiday, which begins on Sept. 14.

While it remains uncertain whether physicians will join the four-party consultative body, a group representing hospitals and doctors at Seoul National University welcomed the proposal, stating that all parties "should take a step back and try to resolve" the issue.

Buoyed by the first positive sign in nearly seven months for talks from an influential group of doctors, Song Young-hoon, a PPP spokesman, expressed optimism and urged other doctors to join the discussion in a statement on Saturday.

Yet challenges remain, as the government and doctors continue to disagree on a key issue: the quota increase for the 2025 academic year.

Speaking to The Korea Times on Sunday, Choi Anna, a spokesperson for the Korean Medical Association (KMA), the country's largest group of doctors, said the association will not join the consultative group unless the government retracts its plan to increase the quota by about 1,500.

She said universities are ill-equipped to manage education programs for that many students and that the decision to increase the quota for 2025 should be reversed.

Another official at the KMA told Yonhap News Agency that the association may participate in the four-way discussion body if the government agrees to discuss the quota increase from 2027.

In a statement, the Medical Professors Association of Korea also said the quota hike decision should be suspended until the government and doctors come up with a reasonable number for admission quotas based on evidence.

However, the government worries that accepting the demand could undermine the legitimacy of its quota decision.

With universities set to begin their rolling admissions for medical schools later this month, the government could also face legal issues if it reverses its decision at this stage.

For these reasons, the presidential office has said changing the quota size for the 2026 academic year would be possible through talks, but not for 2025.

All this suggests a tough road ahead for the negotiations.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo reiterated the government's stance on Friday, saying, "Adjusting the 2025 quota is difficult because the university enrollment exams are imminent. However, we are open to discussing the 2026 quota if the medical community presents a reasonable proposal."

Meanwhile, a strike by junior doctors has intensified the strain on the nation's medical system, particularly emergency services, which have been curtailed by many hospitals due to a shortage of medical staff.

With no signs of doctors returning anytime soon, concerns are mounting about a potential crisis leading up to the weeklong Chuseok holiday, when emergency medical services will operate with even fewer staff than usual.

As of Friday, 105 out of 180 major hospital emergency rooms nationwide were confirmed to be able to handle patients with 27 types of severe, urgent medical conditions, down from 109 in the first week of February, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Sunday.