Medical students to return, but apologies and safeguards still needed

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Medical students to return, but apologies and safeguards still needed

Published: 14 Jul. 2025, 00:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Participants chant slogans during a nationwide doctors’ rally organized by the Korean Medical Association on Yeouidaero in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on the afternoon of March 3, 2024. [YONHAP]

Medical students who walked out of school in protest of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s plan to increase medical school admissions have announced their return. On July 12, the Korean Medical Students’ Association (KMSA), in coordination with the Korean Medical Association (KMA) and the National Assembly’s education and health committees, issued a joint statement pledging to return to class.

“We will restore the integrity of medical education and the health care system by trusting the government and National Assembly and returning to school,” the KMSA said. The students’ return marks a potential turning point in the 17-month-long standoff between the government and the medical community. That is a welcome development. But many challenges remain.

In particular, any special accommodations for returning students must be avoided. Those who already resumed studies earlier this year must not be disadvantaged, and fairness across the student body must be upheld. Granting academic exceptions would undermine educational standards.

The Yoon administration’s unilateral plan to add 2,000 medical school seats ultimately collapsed. In April, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho announced that quotas for 2025 would revert to previous levels — a decision that, while inevitable, offered a chance for both sides to de-escalate. At that point, the medical community could have charted a constructive return. Instead, internal divisions, especially from hard-liners, prolonged the dispute and deepened the crisis. The prior leadership of the KMA and former health officials must accept their share of responsibility.

The quality of medical education must remain a nonnegotiable principle. If students advance without fulfilling academic requirements, the consequences will fall on patients. The joint statement calls for a “normalization of the academic calendar,” but fails to provide specifics. If normalization implies that students will move up academic years without proper instruction, that would be unacceptable. It was precisely concerns about the erosion of medical education that fueled opposition to the government’s policy. Upholding quality standards for all students — regardless of when they return — is essential.

The return of students does not erase the damage done during the standoff. For over a year, patients have borne the brunt of a fractured health care system. Government officials, political leaders, and the medical community must offer a sincere apology to the public and commit to preventing such disruptions from recurring.

Several of President Lee Jae Myung’s campaign pledges — such as establishing public and regional medical schools — are likely to face resistance from the medical establishment. If pursued, these must be accompanied by close dialogue with stakeholders. Likewise, any grievances from doctors or students must be resolved through democratic engagement, not walkouts that endanger public health.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.