[Inside Chodong] Medical Students Must Now Return

Ultimately, the 'deadline' for medical school students to return to campus has arrived. Starting with Yonsei University, Korea University, and Kyungpook National University on the 21st, 40 medical schools will finalize the registration of their enrolled students by the end of this month. Universities have already rejected medical students' leave of absence requests and warned that any cases of repeating a year or expulsion will be handled according to school regulations. However, medical student groups are still refusing to return, raising concerns that a large-scale situation of repeating years or expulsions may become a reality.

Despite some opinions expressing willingness to 'return,' the Korean Medical Student Association (KMSA) has decided to continue the collective leave of absence in opposition to the government. This decision appears to have been significantly influenced by the Korean Medical Association as well as medical school professors publicly opposing the government’s policy. The KMA stated, "Threatening expulsion of medical students is not protection but pressure," and added, "If expulsion becomes a reality, we will be at the forefront of the struggle." The Yonsei University Medical School Emergency Committee also expressed support for "the students' legitimate exercise of their rights through normal leave of absence" and vowed to "protect them from unfair disadvantages," demanding the government "cancel the policy of disallowing leave of absence." The KMSA declared in a statement that "legally submitted leave of absence applications remain valid," and warned, "If unfair treatment occurs during the processing of leave requests, we will pursue all means, including litigation."

Earlier, the Ministry of Education set the condition for returning the medical school enrollment quota for the 2026 academic year to the previous level of 3,058 students before the increase, requiring all medical students to return by the end of this month. Unlike last year, the ministry firmly stated that 'academic flexibility' such as changes to the class schedule is absolutely not allowed this year, and sent an official letter under the minister’s name to all medical schools nationwide, stating the policy of 'no collective leave of absence.' The atmosphere among universities has also changed; while last year there was consensus to accept leave requests even if requirements were not met, now they hold the position that, considering fairness with students from other departments as well as medical students, they can no longer tolerate such requests.

From the beginning, the government was the cause of the conflict between the medical community and the disruption of medical education. It pushed for an increase in medical school admissions to strengthen essential and regional healthcare, and responded harshly to residents’ resignations and medical students’ leaves of absence. As a result, the public’s right to health has been threatened for over a year, and medical education has come to a halt. Although many were shocked by the phrase 'punishment of residents' included in the emergency decree, the excessive abusive language and overbearing sense of entitlement displayed by medical students and residents over the past year have also been sufficient to draw public criticism. The public opinion is no longer favorable.

If medical students do not all return to school, the government will scrap its plan for 'zero increase' in admissions as promised, and the justification for residents to return to the field will disappear. If the collective repeating of years and expulsions of non-returning medical students become a reality, the problem of difficulty in producing doctors for several years to come will continue. There are already reports that universities are seeking ways to fill vacancies by admitting graduates from health and medical-related majors into the medical school proper.

Students must now face reality. Changing government policy and fixing the broken healthcare system cannot be resolved within a year or two. Collective leave of absence without a plan is not a solution. If you chose to become a doctor out of a genuine sense of duty to care for patients, completing your studies normally must come first. It is a great loss both personally and nationally for talented individuals who have worked hard to enter medical school to give it up involuntarily. You must return to the classroom immediately.