Presidential Office: "No Review or Plan for One-Year Postponement of Medical School Enrollment Increase"

If a Scientific and Rational Unification Plan Is Presented, Scale Discussions Are Possible

On the 8th, the Presidential Office stated, "The government has never considered a one-year postponement of the medical school expansion, nor does it plan to consider it in the future."

A senior official from the Presidential Office made this remark when a reporter met with them at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon and mentioned reports suggesting that a one-year postponement of the medical school expansion might be internally reviewed.

Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, said at the briefing of the 'Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for Medical Professionals' that regarding voices from the medical community demanding a one-year postponement of the medical school expansion, "We will conduct internal reviews, but it is difficult at this point to conclusively say whether it can be accepted or not."

The government and the Presidential Office have somewhat shifted their stance, stating that they could consider the scale of medical school expansion if the medical community presents a reasonable and scientific unified plan, but they have maintained that postponement requests are unacceptable.

Following Park’s statement that "internal reviews will be conducted," which led to interpretations that there might be changes in the timing of the medical school expansion, the office denied that there would be any change in the timing.

On the 16th, one day before President Yoon Suk-yeol's 100th day in office, the Presidential Office building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul is shown. President Yoon, emphasizing the elimination of authoritarianism, moved the seat of government from the former Blue House to Yongsan. With the president's office relocated to Yongsan, the Blue House has been fully opened to the public. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Regarding the possibility of negotiating the scale of medical school expansion, Park reiterated the existing position, saying, "We have held multiple consultations with the medical community based on reasonable and scientific grounds over more than a year concerning the scale of expanding by 2,000 students," and added, "The decision remains unchanged, but if the medical community has any adjustment opinions on this matter and presents scientific, reasonable, and unified grounds, we are open to discussing it. We intend to approach this with an open mind."

He continued, "In that process, we do not have a set deadline or guidelines stating that it must be done by a certain time," and added, "Since this is a voluntary process of gathering opinions, we only hope for prompt proposals; there is no coercion or any behind-the-scenes negotiations dictating how it should be done."