Park Dan "Medical School Freshman Recruitment Should Be Suspended Even Now"

"Handonghun, No Willingness for the Ruling and Opposition Parties-Government Council"

Park Dan, Emergency Response Committee Chair of the Korean Intern Resident Association, criticized the futility of the ruling-opposition-government consultation body, stating that "Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, has almost no will for the ruling-opposition-government consultation body."

On the 19th, Chair Park said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "Leader Han is currently strongly pushing the ruling-opposition-government consultation body," adding, "The direction of the consultation body can vary greatly depending on who drives it."

He revealed that during a private meeting with Leader Han on August 20, he was shocked because Han appeared to have no intention of resolving the issue of increasing medical school quotas. Chair Park said, "At that time, Leader Han said, 'I don't care about the medical community, and I don't really know the government's position,'" adding, "As the leader of the ruling party, he should have run for party leader with a clear sense of responsibility for this situation, but I felt that he does not consider this his responsibility."

Park Dan, Emergency Response Committee Chair of the Korean Intern Resident Association, is speaking to the press as he appears at the Metropolitan Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the morning of August 21. Photo by Yonhap News.

Chair Park argued that the government should suspend the recruitment of new medical school students for the 2025 academic year even now. He said, "Medical students have already expressed their intention to take a leave of absence in March next year," adding, "If that is the case, no matter how many new students are admitted next year, it will be impossible to educate them properly." This is because the number of new admissions has increased due to government policy, and if medical students who took a leave of absence in opposition to the increase in medical school quotas return to school, the number of students in one grade will abnormally increase, making education difficult.

Chair Park pointed out, "By the 2026 academic year, one grade could exceed 10,000 students," adding, "I believe education becomes impossible even if the number increases by 1,000, but the government is misleading people by saying it is possible." He also stated, "The medical school quota increase issue is becoming prolonged and heading toward a catastrophe," and argued, "To minimize the damage to Korean healthcare and the public, suspending the recruitment of new medical school students is the best option for now."