South Korean Doctors Demand Cancellation Of 2025 Medical School Quota Increase

Illustration - Doctor in South Korea. (Yonhap)

JAKARTA - The main association of South Korean doctors on Sunday (8/9) demanded that the government cancel its plan to increase the quota of medical school seats for 2025 and 2026, as well as discuss possible adjustment of the quota for 2027 or later.

The association, the Korean Medical Association (KMA), filed the charges after the government last week stated it was willing to revise the plan for 2026 if the medical community could present "reasonable" options.

PresidentYoon Suk Yeol's administration promises to increase the quota for medical school admissions by 2,000 seats per year over the next five years to address the shortage of doctors.

Earlier in June, Yoon's government decided to increase the quota to around 1,500 students for next year.

As a form of protest, the majority of interns have left their workplaces since February, causing serious disruption to the national health care system.

"The government must cancel plans to increase the quota of medical schools for 2025 and 2026 and discuss possible adjustments for 2027 or after," said a KMA official, as reported by Antara.

"It is a prerequisite for us to join a consulting agency together with the government and related parties," he said.

He added that KMA really no longer needed to put forward the stance "because we have emphasized that this drastic increase doesn't make sense."

The government and the ruling People's Forces Party have proposed establishing a joint consulatative agency involving opposition parties and the gunca medical community seeking solutions.