Gov't to increase med school enrollment by 2,000 next year

The Korean government on Tuesday announced an increase in the enrollment quota for medical schools by 2,000 starting next year, a plan it has been pushing to resolve the country's doctor shortage.

Medical professionals walk near a hospital in Seoul on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

The Korean government on Tuesday announced an increase in the enrollment quota for medical schools by 2,000 starting next year, a plan it has been pushing to resolve the country's doctor shortage.

The enrollment, which has been capped at 3,058 since 2006, will be increased to 5,058 for five years starting in the 2025 admission year.

This marks the first quota hike since 1998.

The Korea Medical Association (KMA), comprising doctors and medical students in the country, fiercely opposed the plan earlier in the day, saying they would go on strike if the government proceeded without "thoroughly consulting with the association."

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said the added quota will mainly be concentrated in rural medical schools.

Medical schools outside of the greater Seoul area will need to accept over 60 percent of their enrollment quota applied through an admission type that requires students to have spent their high school years in the regions where the universities are located.

“The decision was made considering the anticipated demand and supply for doctors in the country in 2035,” Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said during a press briefing held at the Seoul Government Complex in downtown Seoul.

“Enrolling 2,000 additional students from next year will give the country up to 10,000 additional doctors by 2035.”

Students who enter medical schools next year can serve as doctors from 2031.

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong announces the increase in the enrollment quota for medical schools at Government Complex Seoul in downtown Seoul on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

The minister added that the country is currently short of some 5,000 doctors, the number needed to ensure that regions lacking medical professionals are sufficiently supplied with them.

According to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) data in 2023, the number of doctors for every 1,000 people in Korea stood at 2.6, far below the OECD average of 3.7. Korea had the second-lowest figure after Mexico's 2.5.

The minister said, “Through medical reform, we will establish a health system covering every region."

President Yoon Suk Yeol, during the Cabinet meeting held earlier in the day, stressed that people are experiencing inconvenience due to a shortage of doctors, adding that the government will “persistently pursue medical reform for the people and the future of the nation.”

The quota hike is higher than expected. The government initially planned to increase the quota by 500, with the expected increase rising to 1,000 late last year. The ultimate increase was 2,000.

In a survey last year, 40 medical schools nationwide said they could handle a total enrollment increase of 2,847. The quota added to each school will be announced in the coming months as college applications are submitted starting in September.

Lee Pil-soo, the head of the Korea Medical Association, speaks during a press conference held in Yongsan District on Tuesday morning. Lee stepped down from his position after the government decided to increase the enrollment quota for medical schools by 2,000. [YONHAP]

Lee Pil-soo, the head of the KMA, held an emergency press conference in the morning, saying they would go on a general strike.

“We will stage a walkout if the government unilaterally decides to increase the enrollment quota for medical schools without communicating with those in the medical field,” Lee said, adding that they will likely respond to the decision, such as by forming an emergency steering committee, after Seollal, or the Lunar New Year holiday, which lasts from Friday through Monday.

Lee resigned from his position following the government's announcement.

The Health Minister added that the government will respond according to the law if illegal actions occur.

Doctors refusing to offer medical services will be charged with violating the Medical Service Act.

According to Article 59 of the act, the government “may order medical personnel or institutions to resume medical service if there is reasonable ground to believe that suspension of medical service [...] causes great difficulties in giving medical treatment to patients.”

Anyone not complying with the order may face administrative disposition or criminal charges.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]