Minister of Health and Welfare: "There is no precedent worldwide of doctors leaving after increasing medical school admissions"

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong is attending the plenary session of the Budget and Accounts Committee held at the National Assembly on the 4th, engaging in conversation with officials. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, stated regarding the confusion at emergency medical sites, "There is no precedent in the world where essential (medical) doctors leave the field because the number of medical school admissions was increased."

On the 4th, Minister Cho responded this way during the plenary session of the National Assembly's Budget and Accounts Committee when Hong Ki-won, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out that "the general assessment is that if the government maintains its current stance, there is no possibility of residents returning."

Regarding concerns that if residents ultimately do not return, there will be serious side effects on our medical system, Minister Cho emphasized, "If medical reform had not been implemented, the high-quality medical system that our country prides itself on would not be maintained."

He continued, "The responsibility lies with the government, and we will strive to prevent such outcomes," adding, "Regarding the 2026 admission quota, I have told the medical community that we are open-minded and can negotiate flexibly."

When Democratic Party lawmaker Hwang Jeong-a criticized, "The whole nation knows the cries coming from the medical field, so are President Yoon Seok-yeol and the government living on the moon?" Minister Cho rebutted, "The government has never said there are no problems in the medical field and has stated that we will do our best."

In response to demands for a public apology due to the medical crisis, Minister Cho replied, "Regardless of the cause of the emergency room issues, as the Minister of Health and Welfare, I feel deeply sorry that the public is suffering and patients are in pain."

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