Ministry of Education Conducts Intensive Audit on Seoul National University Over Medical School Leave of Absence Approvals

Dispatching a 12-Member Audit Team for Inspection
"Will Proceed as Strongly as Possible"

Seoul National University College of Medicine became the first among 40 medical schools nationwide to approve a collective leave of absence submitted by students, prompting the Ministry of Education to launch an emergency audit.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, the Ministry of Education announced that it would dispatch an audit team of 12 members to Seoul National University to begin the audit. The intensity of the audit will be conducted "as strongly as possible."

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@

On the 30th of last month, Seoul National University became the first medical school to collectively approve first-semester leave applications that included a 'solidarity leave of absence' by medical students. The Ministry of Education had maintained a stance that it could not approve solidarity leaves of absence. However, it is known that Seoul National University College of Medicine judged that even if students return now, it would be difficult to complete the coursework normally during the remaining academic schedule.

The collective approval of the leave of absence applications by Seoul National University medical students was made by the dean, not the president. According to Seoul National University's regulations, the authority to approve leaves of absence lies with the dean. Consequently, attention is focused on the possibility that other medical schools, where the dean holds the authority to approve leaves of absence, may follow suit and approve leaves of absence starting from Seoul National University. While university presidents have generally supported increasing medical school enrollment considering the school's status, medical school deans with medical backgrounds have shown a negative stance toward increasing enrollment. According to our verification, among 13 medical schools in the metropolitan area, six have regulations granting the dean the authority to approve leaves of absence. Additionally, the Ministry of Education has identified that about half of the 40 medical schools have deans with the authority to approve leaves of absence.

The Ministry of Education took a tough stance against Seoul National University College of Medicine, which made the first leave approval decision contrary to government policy. The Ministry stated, "This is a very unjust act that betrays the university's fundamental responsibility to educate and nurture students as medical professionals," and added, "If serious defects are confirmed, we will strictly hold those responsible accountable and correct any mistakes."

There are also prospects that the Ministry of Education will impose sanctions such as suspension of student recruitment through corrective orders. Although the authority to approve leaves of absence lies with the university, the Ministry of Education can take measures such as corrective orders and quota reductions if academic violations are found. Regarding this, the Ministry explained, "Fact-finding will be the priority once the audit begins, and subsequent measures will be determined based on the audit results."