95% of Medical Professors Say Classrooms and Facilities Are Not Adequately Prepared for Medical School Expansion

A medical school official is entering the research building at a university hospital in Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

With the medical school admission quota for the 2025 academic year increasing by 1,509 students, medical professors nationwide anticipate difficulties in timely securing adequate faculty and related facilities to accommodate the expansion.

According to the medical community on the 25th, the Korean Association of Medical School Professors (KAMSP) conducted a survey from the 22nd until noon of the same day targeting professors from 30 medical schools nationwide regarding the educational conditions following the quota increase.

These medical schools are those subject to an increase of over 10%, and 1,031 medical professors who have directly taught courses participated in the survey.

When asked whether school buildings such as lecture halls could be properly prepared in line with admissions and promotions if the government’s planned medical school expansion proceeds, 78.6% (810 respondents) answered "definitely not," and 16.4% (169 respondents) answered "no." The negative response rate reached 95.0%.

Regarding whether related facilities such as on-campus libraries and medical equipment could be adequately prepared, 80.9% (834 respondents) answered "definitely not," and 15.2% (157 respondents) answered "no," with 96.1% expressing negative views.

Concerning the possibility of securing faculty members, 85.5% (881 respondents) answered "definitely not," and 11.1% (114 respondents) answered "no."

Additionally, most professors believed it would be difficult to secure medical education hospitals for clinical practice training, making proper education for students challenging.

A representative of the Korean Association of Medical School Professors stated, "Discussing expansion is meaningless when medical education itself is impossible," adding, "In some schools, it is impossible to timely prepare educational infrastructure such as facilities and personnel." They further urged, "The government should listen to these voices from the field, withdraw the expansion plan, and the judiciary should make a wise decision."