South Korea Adds Acceptance Of 1,500 New Medical Students In 2025 To Close Lack Of Gap Triggers Protest Action

Illustration of doctors handling COVID-19 cases. (Antaranews)

JAKARTA - The South Korean government (South Korea) will open the acceptance of 1,500 new medical students. However, this effort was responded to by protests and the strike of thousands of prospective doctors or doctors who were still in training. The information was conveyed by the South Korean government on Thursday, May 30. This step was taken to overcome the shortage of doctors in the country. However, the group representing doctors who disagreed with the move said the policy would reduce the quality of education. It will also not motivate doctors to work in remote areas or less popular fields of practice. The group said the South Korean government should prioritize better salaries and work environments. The South Korean Ministry of Education said in a statement that universities and medical campuses will receive 4,610 new students by 2025, slightly below South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's target of 5,000 medical students.

There are around 13,000 potential doctors or doctors who are still in training who have been on strike since February 2024. They protested the health service system in South Korea. The South Korean Medical Association, which represents private practitioners, said it would hold protests in several cities in the near future responding to its government's policies. They will call for increased awareness of the risks posed by the increase in patient admissions. Meanwhile, South Korean Health and Medical Workers Unions representing health workers reminded doctors who are still in training to stop breaking down while encouraging the government to look for good options. "The government must find appropriate medical reform alternatives – which can be approved by potential doctors who will lead the future of South Korea's health services," he said in a statement.