Court Dismisses 'Medical School Expansion Cancellation' Lawsuit: "Professors Are Not Parties"

"Welfare Ministry's Announcement on Quota Increase Not Subject to Litigation"
First Court Ruling on Lawsuits Filed by the Medical Community

Medical school professors lost a lawsuit seeking the cancellation of the government's decision to increase the medical school quota for 2025. The court ruled that the case was not subject to administrative litigation and that the plaintiffs were not eligible parties to file the lawsuit.

The Seoul Administrative Court, Administrative Division 11 (Presiding Judge Kim Jun-young), on the 21st, dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Council of Professors from 33 medical schools nationwide against the Ministers of Health and Welfare and Education, seeking to cancel the decision to increase the admission quota. A dismissal means that the court ends the trial without examining the merits when the lawsuit does not meet the requirements or the claim is not subject to judgment.

The court stated, "The Council of Professors is not the direct counterpart to the Minister of Education's decision to allocate the increased quota, and as professors, their interests are not direct and concrete legal interests protected by relevant laws," adding, "The plaintiffs do not have standing to seek cancellation of the decision."

Additionally, the court judged that the Minister of Health and Welfare's announcement of the quota increase was made according to the Minister of Education's allocation of the increased admission quota, and thus is not subject to litigation. The court explained, "It is merely a public announcement of an internal administrative decision and is difficult to be considered a disposition subject to an appeal lawsuit."

In March of last year, the Council of Professors from 33 medical schools nationwide filed a cancellation lawsuit against the Minister of Health and Welfare, arguing that under the Higher Education Act, the Minister does not have the authority to decide university admission quotas, and therefore the decision to increase the medical school quota is invalid. This ruling is the court's first judgment among the series of cancellation lawsuits filed by the medical community opposing the government's medical school quota increase policy.

They also applied for a suspension of execution regarding the medical school quota increase, but in June of last year, the Supreme Court upheld the dismissal and rejection decisions.