40 Medical Schools and 13,000 Medical Graduate Students File Lawsuit to Cancel Medical School Expansion

On the 1st, students from 40 medical schools and medical graduate schools nationwide filed a lawsuit demanding the government cancel its policy to increase the number of medical school admissions.

Attorney Lee Byung-chul of the law firm Chanjong, representing the Korean Medical School and Medical Graduate School Student Association (Uidae-hyeop), stated on the 1st, "A total of 13,057 students from 40 medical schools and medical graduate schools nationwide have filed a cancellation lawsuit and a request for suspension of execution against the government's decision to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 and its allocation."

A medical school in Seoul on the 20th, when the results of the increased medical school admission quota distribution, which triggered conflicts between the medical community and the government, were announced. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Including this, there are currently six lawsuits filed against the policy to increase medical school admissions.

The first lawsuit was filed on the 5th of last month by the Council of Professors from 33 medical schools nationwide, followed by lawsuits filed by five individuals including residents, medical students, examinees, and professors, as well as a lawsuit filed by Park Dan, president of the Korean Intern Resident Association.

Subsequently, 18 other residents, medical students, examinees, and professors filed another lawsuit, and on the 30th of last month, professors, residents, and 196 students from Busan Medical School filed the fifth lawsuit.

All of them have requested suspension of execution along with the main lawsuits, and among these, hearings for suspension of execution have been completed in four cases, with the court's decision pending.