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Government returns medical school quota to 2023 level

Published: 17 Apr. 2025, 00:00

A student walks into the campus of a medical school in Seoul on April 16. [YONHAP]

The government is expected to announce today that next year’s medical school enrollment quota will remain at 3,058 students — the same as in 2024. The decision comes after acting President Han Duck-soo and officials from the Education and Health Ministries reached a consensus during a closed-door meeting on Wednesday.

This marks a formal retreat from the government’s earlier plan to increase medical school seats by 2,000, a move that sparked more than a year of protests from doctors and students. Faced with prolonged disruption in medical education and ongoing boycotts, the administration has effectively hit pause on its expansion plan.

University presidents from the 40 institutions with medical schools also convened urgently to recommend maintaining the current quota. The Korea Association of Medical Colleges similarly urged the government to finalize next year’s numbers quickly to restore academic normalcy.

The freeze is widely viewed as a pragmatic step. Medical classes remain in disarray, and further inflating the quota without resolving the educational vacuum would be untenable. Last month, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho proposed the freeze on the condition that students return to class.

With the government now stepping back, it is the medical community’s turn to show good faith. If professional associations continue deferring to more hardline voices and avoid serious dialogue, they risk a public backlash.

Normalizing medical education is now the most urgent task. The government and universities have declined to approve collective leaves of absence, prompting many students to re-register to avoid expulsion. Still, attendance remains low in some schools. Universities, health authorities and faculty must work together to restore proper instruction and training.

Students who fail to meet academic requirements or continue to boycott classes will need to face standard academic penalties, including repeating the year. Enforcing school regulations is essential for fairness and institutional integrity.

With less than 50 days until the presidential election, long-term reforms — including future quota adjustments — will fall to the next administration. Earlier this month, the National Assembly passed a bill to establish a forecasting committee on medical workforce needs, with representation from the medical community, including the Korean Medical Association.

The government and doctors alike must remember that nothing takes precedence over public health. Full participation in the new committee will be key to rebuilding trust and advancing reform.

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