The Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) urged the government to "immediately withdraw" its announcement to freeze the medical school admission quota at 3,058 in 2026, on the condition that all medical students return by March.
In a statement released on the 9th, CCEJ said, "Increasing the number of medical students is a critical policy to protect the lives and safety of the public, and the government should not recklessly reverse this matter just to ensure the return of medical students."
CCEJ stated, "The issue of increasing medical school admissions and the return of medical students should never be exchanged. Under no circumstances should the expansion policy be rolled back," and criticized, "How long will the government continue to be dragged around by collective actions of doctors and medical students?"
They added, "The Ministry of Education claims to normalize medical education as a justification, but the government has always broken its principles first and retreated, worsening the situation," and noted, "The reason students do not return even when facing expulsion is their confidence that the government will show leniency if they collectively resist."
They continued, "Now, this vicious cycle must be broken for both healthcare and education to be normalized," and insisted, "Universities should apply academic standards to medical students without discrimination from other students, and the Ministry of Education must manage whether universities comply and take strict action if violations occur."
They also stated, "The policy to increase medical school admissions is supported and demanded by the majority of the public who endure inconvenience and sacrifice," and repeatedly demanded, "The government should immediately withdraw the freeze on medical school admission quotas, and the National Assembly should pass the Medical Workforce Supply and Demand Estimation Committee Act within March."
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