Medical Students Applying for 'Effective Leave of Absence' Reach Over 8,000... 44.5% of Enrolled Students

512 Applications as of the Afternoon of the 19th
Actual Leave of Absence Submissions Likely Higher
Recent Leave Applications Return to Three Digits

Amid nationwide medical students' protests against the 'increase in medical school admissions,' the number of valid leave of absence applications surpassed 8,000 on the 20th.

According to the Ministry of Education's confirmation on the 20th based on data from the afternoon of the 19th, targeting 40 medical schools nationwide, the number of valid leave of absence applicants was counted at 512 students from 11 schools. The cumulative number of applications reached 8,360, accounting for 44.5% of all medical students enrolled nationwide as of April last year.

There were 3 cases of leave withdrawal from 2 schools, and 2 cases of leave approval from 2 schools. Eight universities were confirmed to have class boycotts. The Ministry of Education explained that no 'alliance leave' was approved.

In response to the government's plan to increase medical school quotas by 2,000, medical students nationwide decided on the 20th of this month to submit leave of absence applications together. The photo shows a medical school in Seoul on the 16th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Valid leave of absence applications are those submitted following school regulations, including parental consent and department head signatures. Although the Ministry of Education has been counting only valid leave applications since this month, even the valid cases are approaching half of all medical students nationwide. It is estimated that the actual number of leave applications submitted is even higher.

As collective actions by medical students continue, the number of leave applications has recently surged sharply. The daily number of leave applications, which was around 10 per day earlier this month, increased to ▲511 on the 12th ▲98 on the 13th ▲771 on the 14th ▲777 from the 15th to 17th ▲257 on the 19th.

With the government expected to announce the plan for the allocation of increased medical school quotas this afternoon, opposition from the medical community, including doctors, professors, and medical students, is anticipated to intensify further.

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