In 2024, South Korea faced a deepening healthcare crisis in which patients faced life-threatening delays due to emergency room overcrowding and a critical shortage of physicians. In response, the government introduced the “Essential Healthcare Policy Package,” which proposed expanding medical school quotas and restructuring healthcare delivery. However, over 90% of junior doctors resigned in protest, triggering the largest physician strike in the country’s history. This paper analyzes the roots of the doctor shortage using policy documents, OECD data, and real-world cases, examining the deeper tensions between physician interests and public health needs. While doctors raise valid concerns regarding healthcare quality, legal risk, and workforce distribution, their extended walkout reflects broader structural problems, especially the concentration of power, market-driven incentives, and persistent information asymmetry within Korea’s healthcare system. Addressing this crisis will require more than increasing physician numbers; it calls for comprehensive reforms in healthcare financing, legal protections, and mechanisms to hold medical professionals accountable to the public interest.