Korean medical community closes clinics in protest against increased medical school admissions quotas; citizens call for boycott of participating hospitals

According to a South Korean medical source on the 18th, Seoul National University Hospital began closing its doors indefinitely the previous day, and other university hospitals and local hospitals and clinics have since joined in the closures.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's survey showed that only 4% (1,463 facilities) of the 36,371 medical facilities ordered by the ministry to resume operations were closed on that day. However, in reality, these were "convenient" closures to provide minimal medical care.
The number is expected to be even higher if hospitals that have been closed are also included. Criticism of the hospitals that have taken part in the closures is growing among the public, with some calling for a boycott.
A list of local hospitals that will be closed is being shared on the LINE community. The post that posted the list read, "How dare they do this kind of thing by using patients as collateral. In the future, we will not tolerate (such hospitals)
Criticisms such as, "They should not go to the Olympics," "I want to ask them if they are going on strike even though their family members are sick and about to die," and "Is striking the only thing they can do?"
A member of Mama Cafe, who visited a pediatrician but was unable to receive treatment, said, "I tried to take my child, who had a bad cough, to the hospital, but the clinic was closed, so I was confused."
"I don't know what the circumstances are, but it's shocking that even the pediatrics department (equivalent to pediatrics in Japan) is closed," he said. Another member said, "I'm worried that my child may have an autoimmune brain injury.
"We are in a situation where we don't know when an emergency will occur. It is hard to understand why they are closing down," he said.
A survey was conducted asking, "Should we boycott this company?" and 80.7% (271 people) of the 340 respondents voted in favor. Among the opinions posted was, "Should we boycott this company?"
There were also comments such as, "Doctors are not doctors." Among the hospitals that participated in the closure, they cited "personal reasons," "facility renovations," and "large-scale cleaning" to show their opposition to the increase in medical school admissions quotas.
Many clinics posted notices announcing their closures, citing a variety of reasons, such as "cleaning" and "maintenance of air conditioning equipment."