'Active Leave of Absence' Medical Students Nationwide Surpass 10,000 Cumulative

256 Students Applied for Valid Leave of Absence on 29-30
Cumulative Valid Leave of Absence Applications Total 10,242 Cases

Amid ongoing intense standoffs over the increase in medical school admissions, the number of medical students who have submitted 'valid' leave of absence applications according to school regulations has surpassed 10,000.

Students are entering a medical school in Seoul on the 20th, when the results of the allocation of increased medical school admission quotas, which triggered conflicts between the medical community and the government, are being announced. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

According to the Ministry of Education on the 31st, a survey conducted from the 29th to 30th targeting 40 medical schools nationwide found that 256 students from 7 schools applied for valid leave of absence. The cumulative number of valid leave applications reached 10,242. As of April last year, this means that 54.5% of all enrolled medical students nationwide (18,793 students) have submitted leave of absence applications.

A valid leave application is one submitted following the procedures stipulated in the school regulations, including parental consent and the department head’s signature. The Ministry of Education initially counted all leave applications submitted by students regardless of compliance with these procedures until last month, totaling 13,697 medical students (including duplicates).

However, since the Ministry requested universities to reject leave applications that did not follow the procedures, only valid leave applications have been counted from this month onward.

Even after the Ministry of Education announced the university-wise allocation results for the '2,000 additional admissions' on the 20th, collective leave submissions by medical students have continued. The Korean Medical School and Graduate School of Medicine Student Association announced that they would request all 40 medical schools nationwide to accept leave applications on the 25th, the day medical school professors collectively submitted their resignations. They added, "For units where leave applications are not accepted, we will not hesitate to pursue administrative litigation."

However, the Ministry of Education maintains the position that even if formal requirements are met, 'sympathy leave' is not a valid reason for leave. To date, there have been no cases of approved leave among the sympathy leave applications.

Currently, class boycotts have been confirmed at 8 universities. If class boycotts continue, students may face collective failure. According to most medical school regulations, if a student is absent for one-third or one-quarter of the class days, an F grade is given, and receiving an F grade in even one subject results in repeating the year. To prevent such situations, universities have postponed the start of classes for clinical-year students from February to next month or have continued suspending classes immediately after the semester begins.