South Korea to improve young doctors’ pay, denies healthcare is in crisis

South Korea will move quickly to improve pay and working conditions for young doctors, the government said on Friday, tackling a key demand by medical trainees who have walked off the job, but denying there was a full-scale healthcare crisis. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said the current practice of forcing young doctors to work 36 hours at a stretch was partly responsible for their protest walkout and must be changed. "We will start the trial as soon as possible," he said, adding that the government would consider limiting to 24 hours the period that resident doctors and interns must work continuously.