Park Minsu, Vice Minister of Welfare, "The principle of expanding medical school quotas is sufficient... Total strike is illegal"

On the morning of the 6th, Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, stated in an interview with KBS's 'Jeon Jong-cheol's Jeongyeok Sisa' that the principle behind the scale of medical school quota expansion is "to set it at a sufficient level to solve the doctor shortage problem on the ground, considering the supply and demand situation in 2035, ten years from now."

On the 6th, ahead of the government's announcement on the scale of medical school admissions increase for the 2025 academic year, a poster condemning the increase in medical school quotas was posted at the Korea Medical Association in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Regarding the current opposition from medical associations to the expansion of medical school quotas, he said, "(While medical associations claim that the number of doctors is already sufficient) it is true that there is an overall shortage of doctors," adding, "According to government estimates, there is currently a shortage of about 5,000 doctors, and by 2035, the shortage is expected to reach about 10,000, resulting in a total shortage of approximately 15,000 doctors."

He continued, "The medical community also argues that the issue is not a shortage of doctors but a matter of redistribution, and that argument has some validity," adding, "Overall, due to complex and structural factors, essential medical care problems are currently occurring on the ground," he added. Regarding the implementation timing, he said, "It will be reflected in the 2025 academic year admissions," and "It will start from this year's entrance exam."

Regarding the medical associations' backlash against the government's plan to expand medical school quotas, he said, "Countermeasures have been prepared, but collective action is illegal." He explained, "The policy to increase the quota is clear. We anticipated opposition from the medical community and have prepared measures," adding, "Unlike labor unions, which have the three labor rights under the law, doctors do not have legal authority. Therefore, engaging in collective action itself is illegal." He further stated, "It is undesirable to threaten collective action by holding the lives of the public or patient safety hostage," and "We are appealing to medical professionals to refrain from such actions."

In the afternoon of the same day, the Ministry of Health and Welfare will hold a meeting of the Health and Medical Policy Deliberation Committee (Bojeongsim), a health and medical policy review body, to deliberate and decide on the scale of medical school admission increases. The expected increase is between 1,500 and 2,000 students. This will be applied starting from the 2025 academic year admissions. The medical school quota was reduced by 351 students during the 2000 separation of drug prescribing and dispensing following demands from the medical community and has remained at around 3,058 students since 2006.