Amid The Wave Of Protests, South Korea Will Not Postpone Additional Quota For Doctoral Students

JAKARTA - The South Korean government has no intention of delaying plans to increase the quota for medical school admissions starting next year, according to a presidential official statement.

The official responded to Second Deputy Health Minister Park Min-soo's earlier comments on the day that the government would conduct an internal review of the latest proposal by the Korean Medical Association (KMA) to delay an increase in quotas for a year.

"The government has never reviewed it and there are no plans to review it in the future," the official told reporters at the presidential office.

KMA is South Korea's largest medical association to be at the forefront of ongoing disputes between the medical community and the government over the government's decision to increase annual admissions of 2,000 medical schools from currently 3,058 seats.

Presidential officials reiterated the government remains open to discussing the adjustment of the 2,000 mark "if the medical community proposes a common opinion based on scientific and rational reasons."