Presidential Office: "Medical Students' Leave of Absence Autonomously Approved... Not Allowing Collective Alliance Leave"

Medical School Leave of Absence Approval, University Autonomy Allowed
Leave for 1st and 2nd Semesters This Year... Encouraging Return Next Year
Extracurricular Programs Established for Students on Leave

In a lecture room of a medical college in Daegu, a doctor's gown and books for the national medical examination are placed.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 29th, the Presidential Office stated, "We will allow medical students to have their leave of absence applications for personal reasons autonomously approved by their universities," but also emphasized, "This does not mean that collective strike leaves of absence are permitted."

A senior official from the Presidential Office told reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office that afternoon, "This is by no means a message that we will fully allow collective strike leaves of absence, meaning a situation where all students simultaneously request collective approval for leave."

The official explained, "The government's position remains unchanged that collective strike leaves of absence cannot be considered legitimate reasons for leave," adding, "Like the recent case at Seoul National University College of Medicine, where over 780 students were processed for leave simultaneously without any university judgment or verification of the reasons, this cannot be regarded as a normal leave processing even under the current guidelines."

Earlier, Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, held a video conference with presidents of 40 universities operating medical schools and allowed autonomous approval of leaves of absence. This was in response to a proposal from presidents of key national universities the previous day, requesting that medical students' leave applications submitted for personal reasons be autonomously approved according to each university's circumstances.

The senior Presidential Office official said, "Universities faced difficulties in judging students' personal reasons for leave, and there was also resistance to requiring a pledge for returning in the 2025 academic year, so we accepted the proposal to allow universities to autonomously make judgments according to their conditions."

As a result of this measure, medical students are expected to have their leaves of absence processed for both the first and second semesters of this year. The official stated, "According to school regulations, the maximum period for leave after a single application is two semesters," adding, "(Students on leave) are scheduled to return in the first semester of the 2025 academic year according to the regulations."

The senior official added, "Universities can promptly verify the personal reasons of medical students, and from the students' perspective, they will have a final decision point on whether to take leave next semester and return afterward, or to return now and complete the second semester by utilizing flexible academic operations and vacation periods."

Additionally, the Presidential Office announced that the government and universities will cooperate to establish extracurricular programs for students on leave in the 2024 academic year.

The senior official said, "Rather than leaving students in a leave status, we have opened extracurricular programs so that interested students can participate," and added, "Universities will also proactively prepare their educational curriculum operation plans for the 2025 academic year along with providing these programs."