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Korean medical schools decide to issue failure notices to students who boycotted classes

Published: 14 Apr. 2025, 12:21

Korea University College of Medicine in central Seoul [NEWS1]

Medical schools across Korea decided to issue failure notices to students who have boycotted classes since the start of the spring semester, pushing the standoff between the medical community and the government into a new phase.

The Ministry of Education, which previously said it would consider scrapping the initial plans to raise the number of medical school students in Korea if students returned to class, has not announced the 2026 academic year admissions quota or a timeline when the announcement will come.

The Korea University College of Medicine plans to meet on Monday to decide how it will notify about 110 third and fourth-year students who have not attended classes that they will fail the semester.

“Failing grades are normally decided at the end of the academic year when the curriculum concludes,” a Korea University official said on Sunday. “But this time, the issue is not about evaluation but the lack of class participation itself, which is why the decision is being made unusually during the semester. Further discussion on the procedures is necessary.”

Yonsei University College of Medicine notified students of possible failure on April 7 and plans to finalize the decision and deliver those notices on Tuesday.

Pusan National University, Ajou University, Inha University, Jeonbuk National University and Chonnam National University also plan to review disciplinary action this week for students who continue to boycott classes.

The medical community believes more students may fail than recently reported.

“Even beyond schools like Yonsei, Sungkyunkwan, Catholic, Ulsan, Korea and Kyung Hee University, where students issued public statements, many others across different universities and grades are also refusing to attend classes,” said the dean of a medical school who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Students are hesitant to return to class after witnessing the backlash against those who re-enrolled last month to avoid expulsion.”

Most medical schools expect to reach the fail threshold by mid-April, when students will have missed more than one-third to one-quarter of the semester.

Policies vary by institution, but schools typically expel students who fail two to four times.

If those enrolled in 2024 and 2025 fail this semester, then three years of students — including those enrolled in 2026 — will have to take first-year courses at the same time next year.

University presidents and the Ministry of Education have both said that while doubling up on class numbers is already a challenge, tripling them is “virtually impossible.”

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, right, speaks during a briefing at Government Complex Seoul in central Seoul on Jan. 10. [YONHAP]

Roughly 20 percent of students at the country’s 40 medical schools have returned to class, according to the education community.

University presidents, who urged the government to drop the admissions hike, and the Education Ministry, which accepted that request, both say the current return rate falls far short of restoring classes to normal.

As students continue to stay away, the government has delayed its announcement on the 2026 admissions quota, which it had originally expected to release in early April.

“There is still no change in our stance that student returns must come first," an Education Ministry official said on Sunday. "The announcement schedule for next year’s admissions quota is also undecided,”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]