Stay the course on disciplinary measures to restore medical education

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Stay the course on disciplinary measures to restore medical education

Published: 08 May. 2025, 00:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Students walk into a medical school building in Daejeon on April 3. [KIM SUNG-TAE]

After months of standoff over the government’s plan to expand medical school admissions, disciplinary actions against students who refused to return to classes have now been finalized. All 40 medical schools in Korea submitted their reports to the Ministry of Education on the status of students who are subject to academic penalties, including expulsion or repeating the year. The number of affected students is expected to be disclosed around May 9. Reports suggest the return rate was just under 30 percent, meaning that over 10,000 of Korea’s 19,000 medical students could face serious academic consequences.

The situation has been difficult for students who hesitated until the end, for parents who were anxious, and for university administrators who tried to mediate. But with disciplinary procedures now settled, the priority must shift toward restoring order and moving forward. Medical education is not a private right of students or institutions — it is a public good tied to the health of the nation. On May 5, acting President and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho reaffirmed that “decisions on expulsion or academic probation will not be reversed, nor will there be any further academic flexibility.”

Public frustration has grown with the intransigence of medical students and doctors, whose protests have continued for over a year. When the government proposed in April to revert the 2026 medical school admission quota to the pre-expansion level of 3,058 — on the condition of students’ return — many expected the conflict to ease. Yet the compromise fell through, resulting in a policy failure for the government and a credibility loss for the medical community.

The Korean Medical Association has drawn criticism for its response, holding mass rallies even after the withdrawal of the expansion plan and focusing its rhetoric on political attacks and vague grievances like the “arrogance of liberal arts DNA.” In the process, the concerns of medical students facing expulsion and patients fearing the collapse of care were sidelined.

Participants chant slogans during a nationwide rally organized by the Korean Medical Association on Yeoui-daero in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, on March 3 last year. [YONHAP]

This self-serving stance persists. On Wednesday, the Korean Medical Student Association accused the Ministry of Education of “suppressing student voices to cover up the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s failures.” Such statements are increasingly out of step with public sentiment and contrast with the growing number of senior residents who are quietly expressing interest in returning. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has confirmed it is reviewing options for reinstating residents who resigned.

The government must not back away from its disciplinary stance. Based on the reports submitted, it should move decisively to normalize medical education. Issues like “tripling” — where three cohorts must take courses together — or gaps created by student expulsions will require careful planning. More broadly, dismantling the culture of entitlement and exceptionalism in medical education is a necessary first step toward structural healthcare reform under the next administration.

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