High court dismisses doctors' appeal, greenlights medical school quota hike

The Seoul High Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul on Thursday [YONHAP]

An appellate court on Thursday denied doctors' request to halt the expansion of medical school admissions quotas, enabling the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s medical reform initiative to continue.

The Seoul High Court ruled that three of the four plaintiffs — medical professors, junior doctors and high schoolers hoping to enter medical school — were "third parties" to the enrollment expansion in medical schools, upholding the reasoning behind the lower court's dismissal.

Although the court said the fourth plaintiff — college students studying medicine — was "qualified" to raise the appeal, the judiciary dismissed the request as accepting it would pose a "material influence on public welfare" in an undesirable way.

Prompted by the judiciary’s decision on Thursday, the country will likely see its first enrollment quota expansion in 27 years, with medical schools admitting 2,000 more students annually from the 2025 academic year.

Thursday’s ruling was in response to the plaintiffs' appeal after a lower administrative court dismissed an injunction request last month.

The Seoul High Court’s decision helps lift legal barriers that could block the government from implementing its planned quota hike.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo thanked the judiciary for its “wise decision” to dismiss the appeal.

A legal representative of medical professors and medical students said Thursday that the plaintiffs will “appeal” to the Supreme Court, the nation’s top judiciary body, after the appellate court’s ruling.

The plaintiffs said they expect the Supreme Court to “rule before May 31” — the deadline for confirming admissions slots at each university — noting the “gravity and urgency of the matter.”

Another plaintiff, junior doctors who have staged a walkout since February, reaffirmed their “non-returning” stance.

In an online forum, junior doctors actually welcomed the dismissal, arguing that had the court accepted their appeal, medical professors might have used the ruling to pressure them to return to work.

On the same day, Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong stressed the government’s resolute will to complete its medical reforms, including the admissions quota hike in medical schools, pointing to what he called “solid and firm public support.”

Over 70 percent of Koreans consider the medical recruitment expansion “necessary,” Cho said.

In a recent public poll by Hankook Research, 72.4 percent of respondents said the admissions quota increase was either “highly necessary” or “necessary.”

The pollster surveyed 1,000 adults over 18 nationwide from Tuesday to Wednesday at the request of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The judiciary’s decision on Thursday could aggravate health service accessibility in general hospitals nationwide.

A day before the verdict, a nationwide committee of medical professors said on Wednesday that a ruling against the doctors would prompt “additional adjustments of their work hours,” which might include further downsizing in treatments and surgeries.

The professors have taken a weekly day off since late April to mitigate fatigue and protested the government’s planned quota hike.

The professors also criticized the government for its “unrealistic plan,” saying there was “neither due diligence nor detailed consideration of the budget” when the Education Ministry announced the admissions seat allocation in March.

On Thursday, a few hours before the verdict, the nation’s largest doctors’ group, the Korean Medical Association (KMA), demanded that the government increase medical treatment fees by 10 percent starting next year and extend state fund coverage.

During a press briefing on Thursday, KMA chief Lim Hyun-taek criticized the current national health insurance scheme for forcing hospitals to receive "only about 80 percent of the incurred treatment costs.” The doctors’ group says the structural flaw inevitably burdens health care providers with deficits.

Lim called for the “swift normalization” of the payment system, allowing hospitals to receive medical services fees from patients and the government through subsidies equivalent to their already paid-out expenses.

The group also attached a precondition to joining the negotiation: a “live-streaming” of the discussion between national authorities and medical professionals.

The KMA’s demands seem to concern talks between the government, pharmacists’ groups and doctors’ groups to decide on medical care expenses that kicked off on the same day.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]