Lee Juho Meets with Medical Students: "We Will Establish a Medical Education Committee for Communication"

First Meeting with Medical Students Since the Medical Policy Conflict on April 22
Models Prepared for Separate Education of the Classes of 2024 and 2025

Lee Juho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, announced on April 22 that he would establish a "Medical Education Committee" composed of medical school professors, medical experts, and medical students.

Lee Juho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, attended the "Medical School Student Meeting for the Normalization of Medical Education" held on the 22nd at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Ministry of Education

Deputy Prime Minister Lee made this statement during the "Medical School Student Meeting for the Normalization of Medical Education," which was held at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, starting at 4:30 p.m. on this day. This is the first time Deputy Prime Minister Lee has officially engaged in dialogue with medical students and residents to seek solutions for normalizing medical schools.

Deputy Prime Minister Lee stated, "There has been a lack of sincere communication between the government and the medical community," and added, "We take seriously the fact that this has led to ongoing conflicts over medical policy." He continued, "The Ministry of Education plans to form and operate a Medical Education Committee to actively gather opinions for the advancement of medical education," and emphasized, "Not only professors and medical education experts, but also students will be able to participate and express their views."

Regarding "doubling," which refers to students from the classes of 2024 and 2025 attending classes simultaneously, he said efforts would be made to ensure proper education. Deputy Prime Minister Lee said, "I have heard that students are most concerned about whether proper education can be provided for the classes of 2024 and 2025," and added, "We have prepared various models to allow the class of 2024 to graduate first, and each school will be able to select and implement one of these models based on student opinions and other factors."

He also stated that clinical training for third- and fourth-year medical students would proceed without disruption. Deputy Prime Minister Lee said, "We will prepare measures to expand clinical training institutions by linking with regional medical centers," and added, "We have already completed consultations with the Ministry of Health and Welfare regarding the medical licensing exam and allocation of resident positions, recruitment schedules for residents, and the future scheduling flexibility of specialist qualification exams according to the individual curricula of the classes of 2024 and 2025, and these will proceed as planned."