90.1% of Residents Leave Workplaces... Pre-Notification of License Suspension Sent (Comprehensive)

28.7% of Medical Students Apply for Leave of Absence
40 Medical Schools Nationwide Request Increase of 3,401 Students

As of the 4th, it was confirmed that 90.1% of all residents in South Korea had left their workplaces. The government announced plans to send advance notices of administrative sanctions starting from the 5th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, stated this during a briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) on doctors' collective action held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 5th.

According to the CDSCH, as of 8 p.m. on the 4th, an inspection of 100 training hospitals revealed that 8,983 out of 9,970 residents (1st to 4th year) had left their workplaces, accounting for 90.1%. The top 50 hospitals with the largest number of residents were inspected on-site, while the remaining 50 hospitals submitted written reports. The government plans to conduct additional on-site inspections for the 50 hospitals that submitted written reports and will proceed with license suspension procedures as soon as violations of work commencement orders are confirmed. Accordingly, advance notices of administrative sanctions will also be sent starting from the 5th.

As of the 4th, 5,401 medical students, representing 28.7% of the total enrolled medical students, have applied for leave of absence. No approvals have been granted for collective leave.

Meanwhile, 40 universities nationwide with medical schools have applied to the government for an increase of 3,401 medical school quotas for the 2025 academic year. This figure exceeds the government's original target of around 2,000 by more than 1,000. Twenty-seven non-metropolitan universities applied for a total increase of 2,471 students, accounting for 72.6% of the total quota increase applications. Eight universities located in Seoul applied for an increase of 365 students, and five universities in Gyeonggi and Incheon applied for an increase of 565 students. The Ministry of Education, together with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, plans to form an allocation committee to finalize the numbers and notify the universities of the quota allocation results as early as the end of this month.

Vice Minister Park explained, "This application result reconfirms that the scale that can be immediately increased in 2025, based on compliance with accreditation standards and securing the quality of medical care, far exceeds 2,000. In particular, the 72% application rate for quota increases by non-metropolitan universities is interpreted as a strong regional desire to strengthen regional and essential medical care."

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