South Korea orders striking doctors back to work amid surge in coronavirus cases

FILE PHOTO: Medical residents and doctors attend a 24-hour strike amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic to protest a government plan to increase medical school admissions by 400 a year for the next decade to prepare for potential infectious disease outbreaks, in Seoul, South Korea, August 14, 2020. REUTERS/Heo Ran -/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea ordered doctors in the Seoul area to return to work on Wednesday as they began a three-day strike in protest of several government proposals, including one to boost the number of doctors to deal with health crises like the coronavirus.

Trainee doctors have been staging ongoing walkouts, and thousands of additional doctors were due to stage a three-day strike starting on Wednesday.