Vice Minister of Welfare Park Minsu: "The Scale of Medical School Expansion Is Not Unchangeable"

The government has shown a stance that adjusting the scale of medical school expansion is not impossible. Regarding the one-year postponement proposal, it also mentioned that it will "consider it" in the future, showing a somewhat softened position compared to the previously firm stance.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 8th, Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters briefing on the doctors' collective action, "Since the allocation by each school has already been announced, reversing the expansion policy is expected to cause further confusion," but added, "It is not physically impossible to change it before the new student recruitment guidelines are finalized."

The medical school expansion is usually reflected in the early admission guidelines for university entrance exams, which are announced in late May after each university completes its preparation work.

Regarding the 'one-year postponement proposal' suggested by the Korean Medical Association, Vice Minister Park said, "It is not based on scientific evidence, but I understand it as a proposal to temporarily halt the expansion policy and have additional discussions," and added, "We will also conduct internal reviews on that matter."

He added, "However, at this point, it is difficult to conclusively say whether it can be accepted or not."

In the afternoon of the same day, the Ministry of Health and Welfare issued another statement saying, "The government reiterates its basic position that if the medical community presents a unified opinion based on scientific and rational grounds regarding the number of medical school quotas, it is open to discussion." It also added, "No decision has been made yet on whether to consider the one-year postponement proposal."

However, compared to the previous stance of maintaining the policy to increase the medical school quota by 2,000 students for the 2025 academic year, this appears to be a step back.

On the 7th, the Emergency Committee of the Korean Medical Association announced that it would hold a joint press conference with the National Council of Medical School Professors (Jeonui Gyohyeop), the Korean Intern Resident Association (Daejeonhyeop), and the Korean Medical School and Medical Graduate Student Association (Uidae Hyeop) to discuss the government's medical school expansion plan after the general election. The medical community plans to demand a reconsideration of the expansion scale.

Kim Seong-geun, the Public Relations Commissioner of the Emergency Committee of the Korean Medical Association, said, "If we postpone for one year and form a committee that can accurately review (the scale of medical school expansion, etc.), a mutually respectful outcome can be achieved."

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