[Inside Chodong] Obstacles Blocking Medical Students' Return

The deadline for medical students on leave of absence to return is approaching one after another. Recently, I met a central government official who has a child attending a medical school in the metropolitan area and heard an unexpected story. The child is considering returning but is "trembling with fear because of the jokbo."

The situation is as follows. Jokbo refers to materials containing about ten years' worth of past exam questions and key lecture content from each medical school. Despite controversies over whether it constitutes "question leakage" or not, jokbo has long become an essential item for medical students whose exam scope spans tens of thousands of pages, even for pop quizzes. However, jokbo is often managed by the medical student council. Ultimately, if the student council is negative about the "return of students on leave," returning to school blindly could result in becoming a "jokbo outcast," making it difficult to manage school life and grades properly. Although the last week to decide the normalization of medical education, which has lasted over a year, has begun, from the perspective of medical students considering returning, this is one example showing how bleak the situation after returning is, to the point that the phrase "steep mountains and deep valleys" comes to mind.

There is no intention to raise issues with jokbo itself. Since it is a summary note for exam preparation, it is also difficult to say, "Can someone who only clings to jokbo properly care for patients after becoming a doctor?" However, the reality that returning students must watch the student council's mood, which holds the jokbo, must be addressed. Just one year ago, a medical school task force (TF) at a university in Seoul forced students to participate in class boycotts by threatening to restrict jokbo sharing if they did not, leading to a police investigation. Their behavior has not changed. As a result, voices have emerged among students saying, "Let's register first to avoid expulsion and boycott classes to benefit from jokbo later." Jokbo has thus become a weapon that justifies the undemocratic actions of the student council.

Currently, the atmosphere among medical students suggests that more students may hope to return to classes. Measures to protect them are needed, not only regarding the jokbo issue. It is known that some medical schools are even discussing protective guidelines such as changing the way students' names are called during classes.

Regarding the "full return" condition set as a prerequisite for restoring next year's medical school admission numbers to pre-increase levels, detailed discussions for students returning first must take place. It is necessary to consider a phased return starting from a level where normal classes can be conducted, rather than the concept of "100% return."

It is also worth considering formalizing a "Medical Education Support Center" at each medical school to provide learning support materials. Although this might further stimulate medical students and draw criticism that the government is even managing jokbo, it is not a choice to avoid in the current crossroads of medical education normalization. In the mid to long term, it could serve as a foundation to establish a proper support system by adding other educational functions such as grievance and career counseling.

A firm stance from the government and universities is also necessary. Since the government has stated it will restore medical school quotas to the level before the 2,000-student increase next year, it must not compromise on students who ultimately do not return. The Ministry of Education's official position, "We will strictly apply school regulations in case of class boycotts," must be upheld to the end.

Universities with medical schools have announced a policy of "processing unregistered students according to procedures." Consistency in this is also important. On online communities, posts are already appearing saying, "If they hold out, the school will again tacitly allow leave of absence." Neither the government nor medical schools should make medical students a privileged class.