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A hospital in Seoul on Tuesday (Yonhap) |
Under the decree issued by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su that went into effect as of 11 p.m. on Tuesday, all medical professionals must resume their duties within 48 hours
Those affected include striking intern and resident doctors opposing the government's quota hike in medical school admissions or those who have walked out of their medical roles.
The decree came nearly an hour after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late Tuesday.
Medical professionals who fail to comply with the rules will be punished under martial law, according to the decree.
Soon after the order, the emergency committee of medical professors at Seoul National University and Seoul National University Hospital claimed that junior doctors who had resigned were no longer obliged to follow the rules because they had resigned.
"The decree does not apply to junior doctors who have resigned because their contracts have ended with the hospitals. We, as medical professionals, will protect the health of our patients and defend the rights of health care workers, including trainee doctors, during the chaos caused by the declaration of martial law," the professors said in a statement.
The Korean Medical Association -- the largest lobbying group for doctors here representing some 140,000 members -- said medical institutions would "continue to provide medical services," even under martial law.
