Korean government mulls expanding medical school enrollment

[Photo by Lee Seung-hwan]

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the Ministry of Health and Welfare to significantly expand the number of medical school admissions to address the anticipated shortage of medical professionals, according to an official from the health ministry on Monday.

The official noted that the ministry reported a proposal to Yoon in September, suggesting a gradual increase in medical school admissions by 300 to 500 students, which was based on the opinions of experts who attended a related forum in June.

But Yoon requested a more significant expansion, the health ministry official said.

“Since it takes over 10 years to train medical personnel, a decision must be made now to meet the demand for medical personnel in 10 years,” an unnamed official from the presidential office said.

Concerns are mounting that Korea will face an extreme shortage of doctors within the next 10 years as it enters an ultra-aged society.

Shin Young-seok, professor at Korea University, projected that if the current situation remains unchanged, there will be a shortage of 27,232 doctors by 2035.

“Upping the number of medical personnel can have an immediate effect by altering the system demanded by the medical community, but a decision must be made now due to the time it takes to train doctors,” a health ministry official said.

Regarding the mention of expanding the medical school enrollment by over 1,000 students, a presidential office official said that Yoon “understands all too well the impact that the establishment of law schools, and the increase in successful candidates in the bar exam had on the legal market.”

Contrary to initial concerns about law schools becoming a “black hole” for talent, the increase in the number of lawyers alleviated concentration issues in the legal profession due to increased competition leading to a decrease in lawyers’ actual income.

While the legal market size has more than doubled from 3.6 trillion won ($2.7 billion) in 2012 to 7.7 trillion won in 2021, the annual revenue per lawyer has decreased to 246.3 million won from 248.8 million won during the same period, taking into account the rise in the cost of living.

The number of lawyers more than doubled to 31,281 from 14,543.

The education sector acknowledges that expanding medical school enrollment could have short-term side effects, such as an increase in students preparing for university entrance exams. But in the long run, it is seen as an opportunity to alleviate the concentration of medical professionals and facilitate talent re-distribution.