[Inside Chodong] Issues to Consider Alongside the Expansion of Medical School Quotas

Concerns Grow Over Intensified Focus on Medical Schools Due to Increased Quotas
Guaranteeing Better Conditions Needed to Prevent Talent Drain in Science
Cutting R&D Budgets Risks Abandoning Korea's Future Growth

When a child is sick, the whole family is in turmoil. Holding a whining child and endlessly staring at the pediatric waiting list screen with no end in sight, a mix of desperation and irritation quietly rises. To avoid waiting in line, I constantly checked the hospital reservation site day and night, even involving grandparents to help with registration. When the child was very ill, I sometimes felt fear thinking, "What if we have to keep going around the emergency room?"

As a parent raising a child, I felt relieved upon hearing that the government is pushing to increase medical school quotas. This was especially true given projections that there could be a shortage of about 27,000 doctors in the next 10 years. It was also a rare spectacle to see the political sphere, which often clashes over social issues, speak with one voice on this matter. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical school quota had been fixed at 3,058 since 2006, which was undoubtedly abnormal. The supply of doctors was less than the medical demand, and as a result, doctors' incomes could rise faster than those of other workers. The income of existing medical staff increased proportionally to the shortage of medical personnel. As doctors pursued profits, the number of essential medical staff in difficult and high-risk fields decreased. If the quota increases, the abnormal medical environment could be normalized.

However, hearing that inquiries about "elementary school medical classes" are flooding in following the news of the medical school quota increase causes concern. South Korea's admission system already places medical schools at the pinnacle, and increasing the quota could accelerate the concentration of talented individuals into medical schools.

Earlier this year, at the National Assembly, Im Hyung-kyu, former Samsung Electronics president and a living witness to Korea's semiconductor miracle, gave a lecture. Emphasizing that "the level of core technicians determines a company's technology," Im strongly expressed concern about the concentration in medical schools. He stressed that the competitiveness of advanced industries depends on how well detailed technological capabilities are secured, and that this core technical workforce, numbering only a few thousand, is the main guardian of the national economy. However, the reality is that the best potential talents capable of developing advanced technologies are all applying to medical schools. With concerns about the "nation's future" being raised, the concentration in medical schools is a serious issue, and if the quota expands, this concentration could worsen. This could even lead to a hollowing out of the scientific and technological workforce.

In the long term, the opposite situation could occur. If the medical school quota increases and the previously skyrocketing value of doctors decreases, the concentration in medical schools could disappear. In this respect, expanding the medical school quota could be a fundamental measure against the concentration phenomenon. However, the problem is how to compensate for the distortions that may occur during this process. Along with increasing medical school quotas, support for science and technology talent must be increased, and guarantees for scientists' futures must be provided simultaneously. However, in reality, the R&D budget was uniformly cut citing the "cartel" in the scientific community as a reason. The government's plan to cut R&D budgets while increasing medical school admissions raises concerns that it might be abandoning Korea's future growth engines.

It is naturally the government's duty to strive to protect the safety and lives of its citizens. However, another role of the government is to secure the nation's future growth engines and plant the seeds for the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.