Education Ministry Urges Medical Students to Reconsider Collective Leave... Asks University Presidents to "Engage Actively in Communication"

Mass Medical Student Leave Scheduled for the 20th
Ministry of Education "Closely Cooperating with Universities"

As the announcement of medical school enrollment expansion sparked waves with medical students predicting collective action, the Ministry of Education has begun persuading each university.

On the morning of the 19th, Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, held an emergency video conference with the presidents of 40 universities that have medical schools. During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Lee said, "Medical school student organizations have announced collective actions such as a strike starting from the 20th," and added, "I earnestly ask the presidents present here to diligently manage academic affairs according to laws and principles so that our students can spend this crucial time focusing on their studies as future healthcare professionals." He also urged the presidents to actively communicate with students, parents, and professors.

Earlier, on the 16th, Deputy Prime Minister Lee also held an online meeting with medical school academic affairs directors, urging strict academic management.

According to the Ministry of Education, as of 6 p.m. the previous day, aside from about 160 medical students from Wonkwang University who submitted leave of absence applications electronically, no additional leave applications have been confirmed. A Ministry of Education official stated at a regular briefing, "The related statistics are currently being compiled," and added, "We will coordinate with the responsible department to summarize today's situation and provide an update."

On the 19th, as concerns over a medical crisis grew with residents at five major domestic hospitals submitting collective resignation letters, Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, attended an emergency video conference at the Government Seoul Office with presidents of 40 universities that have medical schools. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

The day before, 160 medical students from Wonkwang University submitted the first collective leave of absence applications, but it is known that they did not meet the requirements for leave processing under the academic regulations, such as approval from the department head, dean, and parents. According to Wonkwang University on the same day, all of them canceled their leave applications following persuasion by their academic advisors. Similarly, fourth-year medical students at Hallym University, who announced a collective leave plan on the 15th, have not yet submitted any leave applications.

However, since the Korean Medical Students Association (KMSA), which consists of medical students from 40 universities nationwide, announced opposition to the government's medical school enrollment expansion and declared they would begin collective leave starting from the 20th, the situation may escalate further.

The Ministry of Education is also considering increasing the personnel of the previously established 'National University Hospital and Medical School Situation Response Team.' A ministry official explained, "Today, the Deputy Prime Minister will request cooperation from the university presidents, but there will also be various government-level efforts," and added, "We will ask universities for cooperation within today, closely coordinate with the response team to investigate each university's situation, and persuade them to prevent the situation from spreading."