Seoul, Jul 16 (IANS): South Korean Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Tuesday said that he would continue to persuade trainee doctors to return to work, while most junior doctors remain unresponsive to the government's dovish attempts to resolve the ongoing walkout.

The government had set a deadline for Monday for hospitals to accept the complete resignations of trainee doctors, who have left their worksites since late February in protest of the government's medical reform, a move to help them find jobs at other hospitals, Yonhap news agency reported.

However, only about 50 trainee doctors, out of some 13,000 at 211 training hospitals, returned to hospitals, according to the health ministry.

"Although we cannot provide detailed information, it seems that not many have returned," Cho told a parliamentary session.

Cho said more trainee doctors may opt to leave instead of returning to hospitals, noting that the government will come up with policies to encourage them to start training in September.

The Monday deadline was seen as crucial for the government to help persuade junior doctors to return to hospitals, as it is linked to a timetable for hiring new trainees in September.

Last week, the government also decided to withdraw all punitive measures against trainee doctors defying return-to-work orders to seek a breakthrough in the prolonged medical vacuum.

It also allowed trainee doctors who re-apply for the training programme starting in September to receive special treatment, such as an exemption from the rule prohibiting repeat applications to a department within the same year.