Yoon: "Increasing Medical School Admissions by 2,000 Is the Minimum Scale... Not Subject to Negotiation or Compromise" (Comprehensive)

6th Central Regional Cooperation Meeting Held
"Medical Reform, Last Chance to Save the People and Regions"
"Accepting Medical Sector Demands Including Strengthening Essential Medical Compensation"
Doctors' Collective Action "Cannot Be Justified on Any Grounds"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the 6th Central-Local Cooperation Meeting held at the Blue House's Yeongbingwan on the 27th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 27th, "The increase of 2,000 medical school admissions is the minimum scale necessary to address the shortage of doctors," adding, "Medical reform cannot be a subject of negotiation or compromise."

At the 6th Central-Local Cooperation Meeting held at the Blue House State Guest House that afternoon, President Yoon said, "Engaging in collective actions that hold the public hostage and threaten the lives and safety of the people cannot be justified under any pretext." He reiterated his intention to confront demands from the medical community and opposition parties to adjust the scale of medical school admissions increase.

This meeting was the first occasion since the establishment of the Central-Local Cooperation Meeting where governors and education superintendents from all 17 cities and provinces gathered in one place. It was convened to discuss two agenda items: 'Medical Reform' and 'Preparation for the 2024 Neulbom School.'

President Yoon explained the rationale by stating, "It is difficult to accept opposition to increasing medical school admissions based solely on professional interests without scientific evidence. Even if we increase medical school admissions now, the number of doctors will only start to rise after 10 years. So how exactly are we supposed to delay this? The current government is pushing forward medical reform with the urgency of this being the last chance to save the people and regions."

He further pointed out, "If citizens cannot receive timely and proper treatment when they are ill, the state is failing to fulfill its constitutional duties," and explained, "Protecting medical vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and the disabled is directly linked to the government's core policy of welfare for the vulnerable." He made it clear that healthcare is a core part of welfare and must not be subject to negotiation or compromise.

In particular, President Yoon emphasized the domestic shortage of doctors compared to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries when discussing the possibility of adjusting the 2,000 increase in medical school admissions. He stated, "The increase of 2,000 medical school admissions is the minimum essential measure to fulfill the state's constitutional duties. Our country currently has a severe shortage of doctors, and the situation will become even more serious in the near future."

Based on the current situation, approximately 5,000 additional doctors are needed to secure doctors at the national average level in medically vulnerable areas to ensure fair access to medical services, and about 10,000 more doctors will be required by 2035 to respond to the rapidly progressing aging population. President Yoon said, "We need to increase the number of doctors by 2,000 annually to reach the OECD average by 2051, which is 27 years from now, but the aging population is increasing at 1.7 times the OECD average."

President Yoon expressed regret, saying, "The government has fully accepted the medical community's demands, including increasing the number of doctors, reducing judicial risks, and strengthening compensation for essential medical services as part of medical reform. Yet, doctors are still engaging in collective actions."

He continued, "Cooperation between central and local governments is important to prevent gaps in patient care," and expressed gratitude to "the public, who are cooperating with mature civic consciousness despite great inconvenience in medical settings, and to the medical staff, including doctors and nurses, who are silently dedicating themselves to patients at this very moment."

Last February, President Yoon visited the Seoul National University Hospital Children's Hospital, and in October, Chungbuk National University Hospital, announcing measures for pediatric care and local and essential medical services. This month, he held a public discussion on medical reform at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital and announced a four-policy package for medical reform.

Establishment of Neulbom School Inter-Ministerial Support Headquarters "Full Support"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the 6th Central-Local Cooperation Meeting held at the Blue House's State Guest House on the 27th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon also announced plans to establish the 'Neulbom School Inter-Ministerial Support Headquarters' to provide full support for the success of Neulbom School. Since the state taking responsibility for child care through 'public care' will reduce the burden on parents and could be a key to solving the low birthrate problem, the government intends to build a support system at the national level.

President Yoon explained the necessity of the Neulbom School Inter-Ministerial Support Headquarters, saying, "Upon reviewing the preparation status of Neulbom School, there is a significant difference in the number of participating schools by region. Since parents' concerns and worries are the same regardless of where they live nationwide, we must ensure that the benefits of Neulbom School are evenly enjoyed in every region." He also reiterated plans to encourage active participation from businesses, universities, and the private sector in our society.

He especially urged, "Political factionalism or calculations of political gains and losses must never interfere in this matter."

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho mentioned the preparation status of Neulbom School and the disparities in preparation by region and school conditions. Participants shared examples of cooperation by province and city related to operating programs, spaces, personnel, and governance, and discussed additional cooperation measures for operating Neulbom School.

During the discussion, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education introduced a case where local universities and institutions cooperated to develop and operate distinctive programs suited to students' growth stages; the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education shared a case of collaborating with local governments to prepare spaces to address excess demand for care; and Gangwon Province introduced the establishment of the Gangwon-type Neulbom cooperation system among the provincial government, education office, local governments, Korea Senior Human Resources Development Institute, and elementary schools, linking social service-type senior job projects with Neulbom School.

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