Presidential Office Responds to South Korea's Proposal: "It's a Suggestion Not to Increase Medical School Admissions... Causing Confusion in Entrance Exam Sites"

"Directly Linked to National Life and Health... No Surrender"
"Postponement Difficult for Students and Parents to Accept"
"No Emergency Room Crisis Expected During Chuseok Holiday"

The National Health and Medical Industry Labor Union has announced a strike starting on the 29th. On the 28th, a nurse was checking a patient's condition in the emergency room of the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The Presidential Office stated regarding the postponement of medical school enrollment expansion proposed by Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, that "it is equivalent to saying not to increase the number of doctors," and added, "If postponed, there will be significant confusion in the admissions field due to uncertainty."

Regarding the continuous collective actions by the medical community, the office emphasized, "If we yield on matters directly related to the lives and health of the people, it could lead to a situation where politics and policy become difficult to carry out, making it hard to call this a normal country."

A senior official from the Presidential Office met with reporters on the afternoon of the 28th at the Yongsan Presidential Office and said, "The government's medical reform is for the people and patients."

The official pointed out, "Postponing the increase in medical school enrollment for the 2026 academic year is unrealistic," and noted, "Park Dan, president of the Korean Intern Resident Association, has also expressed that he will not return to or make a progressive decision on that alternative."

He continued, "The enrollment quotas for the 2026 academic year were allocated and announced by each university at the end of April," and explained, "Students currently in the second year of high school, examinees, and their parents are preparing with this goal in mind. If discussions and postponements occur again before the ink is even dry, it will be difficult for students and parents to accept."

Earlier, Representative Han proposed a mediation plan to the government to suspend the increase in medical school enrollment for the 2026 academic year, but the Presidential Office effectively rejected it, stating that there is no change to the existing policy.

A senior official from the Presidential Office said, "The Korean Medical Association is demanding the dismissal and removal of government officials who pushed the medical school enrollment expansion policy," and criticized, "Despite knowing that there are structural problems causing public anxiety and inconvenience, there is persistent, structural resistance from interest groups."

Regarding the residents who left the medical field en masse in protest against the enrollment expansion, the official said, "They have never explained to the public why they took collective action or why they had no choice but to leave," emphasizing, "I believe it is their duty to explain at least that much to the public. From the perspective of the public, who have experienced canceled surgeries or postponed appointments, such explanations are necessary."

He added, "It is a very frustrating situation," and pointed out, "Ultimately, since residents are supplied as a monopolistic and irreplaceable workforce, they know what phenomena occur when they collectively withdraw from the field, so it seems they are exploiting that."

The official said, "'Emergency room rounds' and 'pediatric open runs' have become realities, and there are talks of '3-minute consultations,'" adding, "To resolve this, medical reform is necessary, and the foundation of medical reform is ultimately an increase in the number of doctors."

The senior official from the Presidential Office explained that even if medical school enrollment increases, doctors' incomes will not decrease compared to now.

The official said, "Because there is development in the medical industry and other fields, doctors can also advance into those areas, and once a certain number is reached, services can compete to create markets," adding, "We need to look at this from a macro perspective."

He also said, "The government will invest finances in healthcare at the same level as national security and public safety," and promised, "We pledge that over the next five years, 20 trillion won plus alpha will be invested."

The Presidential Office also stated that there will be no emergency room crisis during the Chuseok holiday period.

The official said, "Since there is a possibility that more patients will come to emergency rooms during Chuseok, we are preparing with the expectation that more emergency patients will arrive than usual," and added, "We have prepared using all available ideas and means, so while continuous monitoring is necessary, we do not expect a crisis to occur."

He further explained, "The most burdensome issue in emergency medical care is the serious problem of non-emergency and mild patients coming directly to emergency rooms," and said, "We have prepared special measures to increase the number of on-duty medical institutions as much as possible so that emergency rooms can quickly treat only patients who truly need emergency care."