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Expelled medical students push for readmission, but schools hold firm

Published: 11 Jun. 2025, 09:22 Updated: 11 Jun. 2025, 13:11

A medical school in Seoul on May 12 [NEWS1]

A month after the government finalized the expulsion or flunking of medical students who did not return to class, some students are asking for a second chance — but universities aren’t budging.

Around 150 students joined an anonymous open chat room launched Monday, titled “Change Comes Through Action,” to discuss ways to petition schools and lawmakers for readmission, according to medical sources on Tuesday.

Participants have suggested sending emails to members of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, medical school deans and civil servants in charge of medical education.

One sample email shared in the chat room reads, “There are many medical students who want to return to school, contrary to the official stance of the Korea Medical Students’ Association,” and calls for “institutional and policy-based support for students who wish to return voluntarily.”

The implication is that once students resume class, universities should cancel the expulsion or flunk decisions and allow students to advance next year.

Tips shared in the chat include advising students to “request face-to-face meetings with the dean if possible” when expressing intent to return.

On the medical community platform Medistaff, multiple posts on how “It’s time to go back” have also been uploaded in recent days.

But universities are reluctant.

A medical school in Seoul on May 9 [NEWS1]

“Since classes are already underway for students who returned, those coming back now would require separate classes,” said a source from the Council of University Presidents for the Advancement of Medical Schools. “This would waste administrative resources over the next decade during clinical training, national exams and job placement for internships and residencies.”

The Ministry of Education has also reiterated its stance, saying it already "finalized flunking and expulsion decisions for students who did not return by May 7."

Some argue that universities should accept returning students to avoid a scenario next year where three separate classes — those from the 2024, 2025 and 2026 school years — study simultaneously.

But the Ministry of Education expects this “tripling” to be less severe than anticipated. Of the roughly 10,700 students across the three cohorts, only around 5,600 are expected to attend classes next year.

When factoring out the 4,400 students eligible for normal advancement and the 560 currently on military service leave, the actual number is even smaller — less than a “doubling” scenario. But, in universities where very few students returned, a tripling effect may still occur.

Officials have also raised concerns that students who returned on time could have their learning rights undermined if others return unexpectedly.

At some schools, students who returned in line with government guidelines reportedly faced harassment following the Education Ministry’s decision on May 7.

“At one university, students who did not return formed a blockade in front of the school and prevented students and staff from entering,” a medical source said.

Some returning students have received threatening messages from peers who did not return.

The messages included lines like “If you take the exam this time, you’ll pay the price,” and “If we can’t go to school, neither can you.”

On Medistaff, posts read, “Before any more students return, we should expose their names in a ‘citrus list,’” and “Let’s form an anti-citrus committee like a counterintelligence unit.” “Citrus” is derogatory slang used to describe returning students.

The Korean term gamgyul, meaning citrus, became a derogatory nickname during Korea’s medical student boycott, used to mock residents and students who stayed in hospitals or returned to school. It sarcastically labels them as grateful doctors who broke from the protest.

The wordplay combines gamsa, meaning gratitude, and gyul, the second syllable of gamgyul, turning a harmless fruit into a tool for ridicule.

But a new administration under President Lee Jae-myung could open the door for broader reinstatement.

“Our party has not yet established an official position on normalizing medical education,” a Democratic Party source said. “But there is a shared sentiment that we must avoid catastrophe.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHOI MIN-JI, LEE AH-MI [[email protected]]