Gwangju Medical Association President: "Medical Community Must Unite to Bring Medical Students Back"

There have been calls for the entire medical community to unite and create a justifiable reason for the return of medical students who have collectively taken a leave of absence due to legislative conflicts.

The Gwangju Medical Association (President Choi Jeongseop) held its 39th regular general assembly on the 25th at the Ramada Plaza Chungjang Hotel.

In his greeting, President Choi Jeongseop strongly criticized, "Due to the government's hasty medical policies, residents' resignations and medical students' leaves of absence have continued for 14 months," and pointed out, "Although the government's decision to freeze the 2026 medical school quota at 3,058 has been described as 'a hard-fought victory by young doctors,' the government is evading responsibility without a sincere apology."

President Choi stated, "While I deeply respect the spirit of fighting against the flawed quota policy, it is now time to take a breather and reorganize our ranks with a temporary truce. As seen in the Imjin War and the war in Ukraine, only ruins remain even after victory," adding, "The medical community must unite so that medical students, who are the most vulnerable and have made sacrifices, can return with a justifiable cause."

He also urged, "Due to the government's misjudgment, regional and essential medical services are collapsing, and the Korean medical system will fall into an irreparable abyss for more than a decade," and demanded, "Immediately revise the essential medical package and reconsider the residents' demands."

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