Confusion in Admissions Due to Medical School Expansion Adjustment... Lee Ju-ho "Apologize, Will Minimize Anxiety"

Government Fully Accepts Request to Adjust Medical School Freshman Enrollment Scale
Amid Concerns Over Admission Site Confusion, "Will Quickly Complete Procedures"
To Municipal Universities Not Participating in Adjustment Decision, "Continuous Communication... Confirming Consensus"

The government announced that it would "minimize anxiety" amid concerns about "admission confusion" regarding the decision to leave the scale of medical school enrollment increase for the 2025 academic year to each university's discretion. On this day, the government made a sudden acceptance of the request from some non-metropolitan national universities to allow partial adjustment of the increase in medical school freshmen enrollment.

Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, stated at a briefing after attending the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting at the Government Seoul Office on the afternoon of the 19th, "Each university is scheduled to change its admission recruitment plan by the end of April. Although there is little time left, if the procedures are completed quickly, many concerns about admissions are expected to be resolved swiftly," he said.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On this day, the government presented a new policy direction, stating, "Each university will change the 2025 academic year college entrance examination implementation plan and autonomously decide the number of recruits within the permitted range by the end of April," and "The 2026 academic year college entrance examination implementation plan must also be finalized and announced by the end of April, reflecting the increase of 2,000 students."

However, with less than five months remaining until the university early admission application period, concerns arose about confusion in the admission field due to changes in the scale of enrollment increase. In response, Deputy Prime Minister Lee revealed, "A significant part of the background behind the proposal made by the presidents of six universities yesterday was the concern about admissions." However, he added, "To alleviate these concerns, the presidents requested flexibility in the number of recruits, and the government-wide consensus on this intention led to the swift decision," and said, "The Ministry of Education expects this measure to greatly help ease students' anxiety about admissions."

Regarding the forecast that a considerable number of medical students would not return even if the scale is adjusted, he said, "Unfortunately, there has been little progress so far." However, he explained, "By presenting this flexibility in recruitment numbers, when talking with university presidents, medical school deans, and medical professors on site, the most important part was the flexibility of the quota," and "Since this has been responded to, there is now a stronger justification for individual universities to actively persuade students to return."

Regarding private universities that did not participate in this quota adjustment, the Ministry of Education plans to continuously communicate with presidents or deans of medical schools. Deputy Prime Minister Lee added, "Although six presidents proposed this, we have confirmed that there is a fairly broad consensus," and "We will continue to communicate with other university leaders and deans to ensure that the announced measures proceed."

Meanwhile, the proposal suddenly accepted by the government on this day was made by the presidents of six non-metropolitan national universities: Kangwon National University, Kyungpook National University, Gyeongsang National University, Chungnam National University, Chungbuk National University, and Jeju National University. Considering each university's educational conditions, the proposal requested that among the 32 universities whose medical school quotas were expanded this year, those wishing to do so be allowed to autonomously recruit freshmen within 50% to 100% of the increased number for the 2025 academic year only.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said, "We made a decisive decision to actively protect medical students and to normalize medical education, thereby providing a clue to resolving conflicts in the medical field," and "The government will proactively accept the proposals of the national university presidents." He also pointed out, "Most of the government's announced measures, such as expanding investment in essential and regional medical care and improving the treatment of residents, are reform tasks long desired by the medical community, but opposition to the increase in medical school enrollment has not easily subsided," and "As the medical community's collective actions have prolonged, public and patient anxiety has increased." He added, "At the center of medical reform is always the patient first. The Yoon Seok-yeol administration has promoted medical school enrollment increase and medical reform solely for patients and the public," and "Although differences of opinion within the medical community regarding the scale of the increase have not been narrowed, the government is ready to engage in dialogue with an open attitude whenever the medical community presents a scientific and rational unified plan, even now."