A senior presidential official said Tuesday that a now-disbanded consultative body on a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors could be reopened, but urged relevant parties to make more efforts to resolve the medical impasse.

Jang Sang-yoon, senior presidential secretary for social policy, made the remark during a radio interview with broadcaster KBS, two days after the consultative body, which involved the ruling party, the government and doctors' groups, broke up as they failed to narrow differences.

The consultative body was aimed at resolving the medical crisis sparked after thousands of junior doctors resigned en masse since February to protest the government's decision to sharply raise the medical school enrollment quota.

"Discussions have stalled due to the issue of medical school enrollment quotas for the 2025 academic year, so we decided to take a cooling-off period," Jang said. "However, the platform remains open and discussions can resume any time."

Jang urged the medical community to consider diverse perspectives and seek compromise in resolving the protracted standoff.

"It would be good if the medical community could move beyond hard-line positions and establish governance that unifies their opinions," he said.

Jang reaffirmed the government's stance that adjustments for the 2025 academic year are not feasible, saying discussions for the 2026 enrollment quotas are possible if the medical community presents reasonable alternatives. (Yonhap)