Confirmed Medical School Expansion After 27 Years... 1,639 Students in Non-Capital Regions, '0' in Seoul (Update)

Prime Minister Han Deok-su's National Address "Medical School Quotas Must Be Increased Even Now"
Detailed Plan to Increase by 2,000 Students... Focus on Non-Capital Areas Considering Regional Disparities
Assigning About 200 Total Quotas to Regional National Universities... Fostering Regional Hubs
Increasing Total Quotas of Small Medical Schools with Fewer Than 50 Students to 100-130 to Improve Efficiency

The government has increased the medical school student quota by 2,000 for the first time in 27 years. To overcome regional disparities in medical conditions, 82% of the increased quota was allocated to non-metropolitan areas, with the remaining 18% distributed to the Gyeonggi and Incheon regions. For the same reason, the quota in the Seoul area was not increased by a single student. Despite strong opposition from the medical community, including collective resignation of residents, the government is determined to focus support on non-metropolitan medical schools, small-scale medical schools, and regional medical schools that serve as regional base hospitals.

On the afternoon of the 20th, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held a public address at the Government Seoul Office, stating, "Considering educational conditions and regional medical realities, we have set the increase scale at 2,000," reaffirming the government's plan to increase the quota as originally announced. Prime Minister Han emphasized, "We must steadily train doctors by increasing the medical school quota even now," adding, "Even if we increase the quota by 2,000 from next year, the educational conditions of medical schools in our country can sufficiently accommodate this. We have confirmed compliance not only with current legal standards but also with the accreditation standards of the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation."

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is delivering a statement on medical reform and the allocation of 2,000 medical school quotas at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 20th. Attending the announcement were Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance; Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education; Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Interior and Safety; Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare; and Bang Ki-sun, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

In particular, regarding claims that the government should reduce the increase scale and negotiate with medical organizations such as residents, he actively rebutted, saying, "An increase of 2,000 is the minimum number to resolve the shortage of doctors." Citing the case in 2000 when the medical school quota was reduced by 351 during the separation of drug prescribing and dispensing, Prime Minister Han added, "If those 351 had not been reduced then, an additional 6,600 doctors would have been secured by now, and by 2035, more than 10,000 doctors would have been produced."

The detailed plan for expanding the medical school quota announced by the government that day also reflects this determination. The government officially announced an increase of 2,000 medical school student quotas for the 2025 academic year, confirming the increase for the first time in 27 years. The key point is that 82% of the increased quota was allocated to non-metropolitan areas to expand regional medical infrastructure, with the remaining 18% distributed to the Gyeonggi and Incheon regions.

First, 1,639 students will be added to 27 non-metropolitan universities. This accounts for 82% of the total increase. The current quota for non-metropolitan medical schools is 2,023, which is 66.2% of the national medical school quota (3,058), but from next year, it will increase to 3,662, raising the proportion to 72.4%. Specifically, Chungbuk National University’s medical school quota increased by 151 students, the largest increase. So-called 'mini medical schools' will expand in size from a minimum of 80 to up to 200 students. Although no increase was made in Seoul area medical schools, non-metropolitan medical schools training at the 'Big Five' hospitals, such as Ulsan University (Seoul Asan Medical Center) and Sungkyunkwan University (Samsung Seoul Hospital), will see their quotas triple.

However, the government did not allocate increased quotas to eight universities in the Seoul area that participated in the demand survey. The government explained that the main criteria were to resolve medical disparities between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas and to overcome disparities in medical conditions within the metropolitan area between Seoul and the Gyeongin region. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho explained, "We divided the quotas based on standards for establishing a 'regionally self-sufficient medical system' so that all citizens can enjoy quality medical services anywhere."

Accordingly, regional base national medical schools will secure a total quota of about 200 students, while small-scale medical schools with fewer than 50 students will be allocated at least 100 students to ensure appropriate scale and efficient operation. Other non-metropolitan medical schools will also expand their total quotas to about 120 to 150 students to contribute to improving regional medical conditions.

In addition to Chungbuk National University and Gyeongsang National University, the quotas for regional base national medical schools will increase as follows: Jeju National University to 100 students; Chonnam National University, Jeonbuk National University, Chungnam National University, Pusan National University, and Kyungpook National University to 200 students; and Kangwon National University to 132 students. Small-scale medical schools with fewer than 50 students will also be allocated increased quotas to reach at least 100 students for efficient operation. The increases are as follows: Ajou University from 40 to 120; Inha University from 49 to 120; Gachon University from 40 to 130; Catholic Kwandong University from 49 to 100; Dongguk University from 49 to 120; Daegu Catholic University from 40 to 80; CHA University from 40 to 80; Dong-A University from 49 to 100; Jeju National University from 40 to 100; Dankook University from 40 to 120; Konkuk University from 40 to 100; Konyang University from 49 to 100; and Eulji University from 40 to 100.

Going forward, the Ministry of Education plans to closely cooperate with related ministries such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and Ministry of the Interior and Safety to actively support securing faculty, facilities, and equipment to improve medical education conditions after the increase in medical school quotas. Minister Lee Ju-ho stated, "This expansion of medical school quotas marks the beginning of medical reform and aims to create a new medical ecosystem that actively resolves medical disparities between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas," adding, "We will listen more closely to voices from the field and actively communicate by visiting universities directly."

Meanwhile, medical organizations, resident groups, and medical school professors have agreed to discuss future response plans following the government announcement. According to the medical community, the Korean Medical Association (KMA), the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA), and the Korean Association of Medical School Professors (KAMSP) will hold an online meeting at 8 p.m. that day to discuss the government's medical school quota allocation results as an agenda item. Experts analyze that since it is extremely rare for these three representative organizations of doctors to come together, they may mount even stronger resistance.

Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, is making an announcement on the allocation of 2,000 medical school quotas on the 20th at the Joint Briefing Room of the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

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