Medical Students' 'Effective' Leave of Absence Applications Total 5,446... 29% Among Enrolled Students

One School, One Student Applied for Leave of Absence on the 10th
Ministry of Education "Efforts for Normal Academic Operation"
Deputy Prime Minister Lee Ju-ho Proposes Dialogue to Medical Student Association

Amid ongoing protests by medical staff and students opposing the increase in medical school admissions, a total of 5,446 leave of absence applications have been submitted as of the 10th.

According to the Ministry of Education on the 11th, as of 6 p.m. on the 10th, among the 40 universities with medical schools, only one valid leave application was recorded from one university. The cumulative number of valid applications reached 5,446, accounting for 29.0% of all enrolled students.

So far, class boycotts have been confirmed at 10 universities, but no strike leaves of absence have been approved. The Ministry of Education stated, "The respective schools are making efforts to maintain normal academic operations through student counseling and explanations," and added, "The Ministry has requested strict academic management from the universities and repeatedly urged them to prevent approval of collective actions such as strike leaves of absence."

Amid the ongoing strong confrontation between the government and the medical community over the increase in medical school admissions, medical staff are moving at a large hospital in Seoul on the 29th, the government's deadline for residents who left hospitals to return. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

On the same day, Jeon Byeong-wang, the 1st Controller of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at a briefing, "Some media outlets have recently mentioned the timing of failing grades due to class boycotts, but the criteria for failing grades may vary depending on each university's academic regulations and schedules, so the timing cannot be specified," adding, "Therefore, the government judges that it is appropriate to encourage students to return to classes through close consultation with universities rather than prematurely predicting students' failing grades."

He also stated, "Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, proposed dialogue to the representatives of the Korean Medical Students Association, which represents student groups from 40 medical schools," and added, "If they express their willingness to participate by 6 p.m. on March 13, we will discuss with the students the normalization of academic operations and protection of students' learning rights."

On the same day, a Ministry of Education official also said at a regular briefing, "If there is no response, we will continue to attempt dialogue through various channels."

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