First medical school admissions quota hike in 27 years finalized by higher education board

A medical worker at a university hospital in Seoul goes about his duties on Friday as the government and the medical community remain at an impasse over the increase in medical school admissions. [NEWS1]

Korea has finalized its first increase in medical school admissions in 27 years following a review and approval by a university admissions screening committee on Friday.

The Korean Council for University Education reviewed and finalized the admissions plan for the 2025 academic year, including an increase in medical school entrants, in the afternoon. Universities will publish their admissions guidelines on their websites by May 31, completing the process of increasing medical school admissions by the end of the month.

Forty medical schools nationwide will admit 4,567 new students next year, an increase of 1,509, or 49.3 percent, over last year's. This marks the first increase in 27 years since 1998.

The Ministry of Education stated that once these procedures are completed, the increased medical school quota cannot be changed.

In an effort to address the gap between doctors in metropolitan and rural areas and the preference for specialties like dermatology and plastic surgery over essential fields such as internal medicine and pediatrics, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration announced on Feb. 6 a plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 annually for five years starting in 2025.

Despite public support, the decision faced strong resistance from medical residents, who have been staging a walkout in protest for over three months. Only 658 out of the 13,000 residents in training at 100 hospitals nationwide were working as of Tuesday, constituting about 5 percent of the total.

Medical school professors have condemned the government's unyielding stance on the hike, which they say has prevented medical residents and students from returning to their posts.

"It is clear that [...] an increased medical school quota cannot nurture doctors with proper medical skills," the emergency committee representing medical university professors nationwide said in a press conference held at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Friday.

"If the government had indeed been preparing for the medical school quota increase for a long time, as it claims, the first step should have been to ensure adequate educational conditions by thoroughly inspecting the universities' personnel, facilities, and equipment at least a year in advance," the committee added. "The government is recklessly implementing unreasonable and dangerous policies to complete the increase in medical school quotas and suppress the medical community."

Professors at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine and Samsung Medical Center announced plans for weekly closures on Fridays, following similar weekly closure policies implemented by the other "Big 5" major hospitals in Seoul.

The government is urging medical residents to return to work promptly while seeking dialogue with the medical community.

"The government will spare no support to ensure that medical residents receive fair treatment as trainees," Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Park Min-soo said in a briefing Friday. "Please do not hesitate, trust the government, and return to your workplaces promptly. That is the starting point for resolving the issues."

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]