Government to Revise College Admission Procedures... Will 'Medical Reform' Gain Momentum? (Comprehensive)

Law's Request to Suspend Medical School Expansion Rejected
Han Deok-su: "Major Hurdle Overcome in Medical School Expansion and Healthcare Reform"
Completion of College Admission Procedures, Advancement of Education Quality

The government expressed its position, saying, "We deeply appreciate the judiciary's wise judgment" regarding the court's dismissal and rejection of the medical community's request for a suspension of enforcement on the increase in medical school quotas, and stated, "We will complete medical reform." The government plans to finalize next year's university admission procedures for increasing medical school quotas immediately. It also left the door open to discuss the "scale of increase" anytime if the medical community presents reasonable proposals.

On the 16th, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said in a public address at the Government Seoul Office, "The 7th Administrative Division of the Seoul High Court dismissed and partially rejected the appeal for suspension of enforcement filed by 18 people including medical school professors, residents, medical students, and examinees," adding, "The court rejected the suspension request for medical school students citing 'concerns about significant impact on public welfare,' and dismissed the rest of the applicants due to 'lack of standing.'” He continued, "Although the main lawsuit remains, today's decision marks a major turning point for the increase in medical school quotas and medical reform."

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs Lee Ju-ho, and Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong are delivering a public address regarding medical school quotas at the Government Seoul Office on the 16th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The government plans to support the Korea Council for University Education to approve the university admission implementation plan and announce the recruitment quotas by the end of this month as originally scheduled. Prime Minister Han said, "The government will first expedite the revision of university regulations and the confirmation of recruitment quotas," adding, "Revisions to university regulations following the government's decision to increase medical school quotas are mandatory under the Enforcement Decree of the Higher Education Act. Universities that are still revising or need re-examination should promptly complete the process in accordance with legal obligations."

He also dismissed concerns about the quality of education. Prime Minister Han emphasized, "Some in the medical community worry that increasing the quota by 2,000 will degrade the quality of medical education, but we will ensure that such a thing never happens." He added, "On the contrary, we will use this opportunity to establish and implement advanced medical education plans to create education conditions at the level of developed countries," explaining, "We have already surveyed the demand for improving education conditions at 32 medical schools whose quotas increased in April, and are preparing plans for focused investment and the additional hiring of 1,000 professors at national universities."

Korea: "Open to Discussing Scale of Increase Anytime"... Challenge of 'Resident Return'

On the afternoon of the 16th, citizens in Jung-gu, Seoul Station, Seoul, are watching the broadcast of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's 'National Address on Medical School Quota'. [Image source=Yonhap News]

After concluding his address, Prime Minister Han emphasized "flexibility" when asked about future plans for adjusting medical school quotas. The court mentioned in its ruling that "the government stated it will periodically review the supply and demand of medical personnel and may partially adjust the scale of increase," referring to the possibility of adjusting the quota. When asked if this meant the government's plan to increase by 2,000 annually for five years was partially nullified, Prime Minister Han dismissed the notion, saying, "That does not mean it has been nullified at all."

He explained, "The government has been flexible and accommodating so far and has requested the medical community to actively participate as partners and main actors in reform," adding, "Regarding the recruitment quota to be increased in 2025, we have decided and revised to allow universities to autonomously determine it within a range of 50 to 100% based on their requests." He further stated, "From 2026 onward, if the medical community presents unified, reasonable, and scientific opinions, the government will discuss flexibly without being bound at any time," and added, "If the medical community proposes reasonable and scientific plans, we will strive to find reasonable solutions for the quota through consultation."

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs Lee Ju-ho, and Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong are moving on the 16th at the Government Seoul Office to announce a public address regarding medical school quotas.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Although the court sided with the government for now, the plaintiffs have announced plans to appeal again, meaning the Supreme Court's judgment is still pending. Moreover, the majority of residents and medical students maintain their stance of "not returning."

In response to concerns that "shouldn't a way out be left open for residents to return," Prime Minister Han said, "Residents are mostly those who have chosen to specialize in essential medical fields and are receiving training at hospitals," appealing, "The government is currently waiting for their return by postponing various legal measures against residents." He also urged residents, saying, "No doctor can justify leaving patients suffering from illness," and "Our residents, who are a great asset to Korea and will be responsible for essential medical care in the future, are sincerely hoped to return quickly and complete their medical academic and technical training perfectly and promptly."

Seoul Yongsan-gu Korean Medical Association
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding additional measures to encourage residents' return beyond the 'continuous work pilot project,' he said, "We have already publicly discussed new improvement plans related to training duties," adding, "Ensuring that trainees do not suffer from overwork and receive adequate compensation is one of the four major tasks of the Medical Reform Special Committee." He also mentioned, "We are discussing systems to ensure trainees can receive sufficient training at hospitals."

He continued, "We will ensure that all of this is fully reflected in next year's budget," emphasizing, "It is one of the highest priorities." He explained that President Yoon Suk-yeol, related government officials, and experts will discuss this issue at the financial strategy meeting on the 17th, saying, "We plan to thoroughly discuss how to secure the budget to support medical reform and how to provide financial support at the level of national defense and public security."

When asked about the situation where the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Welfare are discussing postponing the national medical licensing exam to prevent fourth-year medical students from repeating a year, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho responded, "We will continue to make efforts so that no medical student is harmed or left behind and can return immediately." Regarding the postponement of the national exam, he did not give a definitive answer but reaffirmed a fundamental stance of continuing "flexible" consultations with the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

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