President Yoon: "No Disruption in Medical School Admissions... Tertiary Hospitals to Restructure Around Specialists and PA Nurses"

Yoon Reaffirms Medical Reform Push Despite Korean Mediation Proposal
"Advancing Medical Education... Producing Many Good Doctors"
"Expanding Local Talent Admissions, Introducing Regional Essential Doctor System"

President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized on the 29th, "Now that the increase in medical school admissions has been completed, we will focus our policy efforts on the essence of reform: 'revitalizing regional and essential medical care'." He also stated, "We will transform the structure of tertiary hospitals that have excessively relied on residents, so that specialists and physician assistant (PA) nurses become the core of medical services."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

During a live-streamed national briefing held at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the morning, President Yoon said, "Medical reform to strengthen the regional and essential medical system is a reform aimed at fairly guaranteeing the right to life and health of the people in all regions without discrimination."

President Yoon said, "The recruitment of new medical school students for the 2025 academic year is currently proceeding without any issues," adding, "Going forward, through advanced medical education plans and innovation in the resident training system, we will ensure that many good doctors are produced." Although the medical community is demanding a complete cancellation of the 2025 admission quota, and recently Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, proposed a suspension of medical school expansion for the 2026 academic year, President Yoon reaffirmed his stance to continue increasing medical school admissions.

President Yoon also emphasized strengthening regional medical infrastructure and normalizing the medical utilization system. To this end, he explained, "We will foster regional central hospitals, secondary hospitals, and essential medical centers, expand regional talent recruitment, and introduce a contract-based regional essential doctor system," adding, "We will transform the structure of tertiary hospitals so that specialists and PA nurses become the center of medical services."

President Yoon proposed incentives such as establishing a fair compensation system for doctors and building a safety net for medical accidents. He said, "We will significantly improve the fees for essential and regional medical care, including severe and emergency cases," and added, "We will reform non-reimbursable services and indemnity insurance to normalize the distorted compensation structure." He also explained, "Through mandatory medical liability insurance enrollment, victims will be adequately compensated, and by introducing special provisions for criminal punishment, doctors will be able to practice with confidence."

In addition, President Yoon reaffirmed plans for large-scale fiscal investment, stating, "We will move away from financing centered on health insurance and strengthen the national responsibility for training medical personnel and expanding the foundation for regional and essential medical care by investing 10 trillion won over the next five years."

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