Yonsei and Korea University Notify Unregistered Medical Students of 'Pending Expulsion'

Concerns Grow Over Large-Scale Expulsions
Yonsei University College of Medicine to Expel 50% of Students

Following Yonsei University, Korea University College of Medicine also notified students who did not register for the first semester this year of their impending expulsion. There is an increasing assessment that large-scale expulsions of medical students may become a reality.

According to Kyunghyang Shinmun and Yonhap News on the 24th, Korea University first sent expulsion notices via text message and email, and plans to send expulsion notice letters by mail the following day.

Students are moving at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 21st, which was presented as the 'deadline' for the return of some medical schools including Yonsei University, Korea University, and Kyungpook National University. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

On the same day, Yonsei University College of Medicine confirmed that it sent expulsion notice letters by mail to about 400 students, approximately 50% of the entire medical student body, due to non-registration for the first semester this year. Yonsei University is expected to process the expulsion of non-registered students on the 28th after sending the expulsion notices.

According to the education sector, on the 21st, five universities including Yonsei University, Yonsei University Wonju, Korea University, Kyungpook National University, and CHA University College of Medicine completed the registration and re-enrollment application deadlines, while Konyang University and Chonnam National University will close theirs on the same day. Seoul National University, Ewha Womans University, and Pusan National University set their return deadlines for the 27th, and Kyung Hee University, Inha University, and Catholic University set theirs for the 28th.

CHA University College of Medicine stated that "expulsion notice letters will be sent between the 24th and 25th." Kyungpook National University will not send separate expulsion notices as they have provided guidance through home correspondence. In the case of Chonnam National University, it is reported that only a few students have returned.

Some medical school professors are concerned about the possibility of large-scale expulsions becoming a reality and are urging medical students to return. Professor Kang Seok-hoon of Kangwon National University College of Medicine said at a forum hosted by the Korean Medical Association (KMA), "I don’t understand why innocent students have to suffer when adults should take responsibility for the current situation," and added, "Professors will continue the struggle, so students should now return and secure practical benefits."

Some universities are reportedly considering whether to extend the registration period to accept medical students who wish to apply for re-enrollment after the registration deadline has passed.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education reiterated at a regular briefing held at the Government Sejong Complex on the same day that "there are no government-level relief measures for medical students who receive expulsion notices due to non-registration." Earlier, the Ministry announced that if all medical students return within this month, the number of medical school admissions for the 2026 academic year will be restored to 3,058, the number before the increase.