"Medical School Quota Expansion" Floods Questions... Lee Ju-ho: "Doing Our Best, Will Gather Opinions"

October 26 Education Committee National Audit Inquiry
"Will discuss" despite concentration and new medical school establishment issues

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho avoided giving specific answers to questions from members of the National Assembly's Education Committee regarding the government's announcement on 'expanding medical school quotas,' stating that they are "about to enter the process of gathering opinions with the Ministry of Health and Welfare."

At the National Assembly's education audit on the 26th, Yoo Ki-hong, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, questioned, "No one has taken responsibility to clarify this, so it is shrouded in uncertainty," and asked, "Do you think you are properly fulfilling your role as Minister of Education and Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs?"

In response, Deputy Prime Minister Lee said, "I am doing my best." When asked about the "scale of the medical school quota expansion," he replied, "We are at the stage of actively conducting various social discussions and gathering opinions," adding, "However, I understand there is a broad consensus on the need to expand medical school quotas," thus avoiding specific details.

On the same day, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong announced the plan to expand medical school quotas. The government plans to finalize the scale of the increase in medical school quotas in the first half of next year after conducting a survey on the desired increase from each medical school.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Deputy Prime Minister Lee also responded to a question about "what he thinks about establishing new medical schools in regions without medical schools" by saying, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Education are about to enter the process of assessing the situation and gathering public opinion," and added, "We will discuss based on public opinion surveys."

Regarding concerns that "the quota will be sucked into medical schools like a 'black hole,'" he said, "This is the most important issue that the Ministry of Education must resolve now," and added, "We are giving it a lot of thought and will consult closely with the National Assembly."

Although Representative Yoo asked again about various issues such as "solving the problem of concentration in the metropolitan area" and "the introduction of a regional doctor system," Deputy Prime Minister Lee only responded, "We will discuss after gathering public opinion."

Representative Seo Dong-yong of the Democratic Party also pointed out the concentration phenomenon in the metropolitan area, stating, "Even if limited to Seoul, nearly half (45.9%) of medical school graduates find employment in Seoul." In response, Deputy Prime Minister Lee said, "We will sufficiently consult on this."

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