Despite a significant reduction in the scale of medical school enrollment increases compared to two years ago, the medical community continues to hint at protest actions, calling the decision "one driven purely by numbers without rational deliberation."
Kim Taek-woo, president of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), held an emergency press conference on the 10th immediately following the government's official announcement. "The 10% cap on educationally feasible increases, which the Korean Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation repeatedly emphasized, was completely ignored," Kim said. "The government must now take responsibility for normalizing the destroyed medical education system."
Kim added that "the Medical School Enrollment Adjustment Committee's decision is not the end but the beginning," demanding that the Ministry of Education "immediately launch a comprehensive survey of all medical schools and calculate realistic enrollment numbers reflecting field conditions."
However, apparently mindful of public opinion that has grown cold after more than two years of conflict between the government and medical community, he did not mention specific protest plans. The KMA said it would gather members' opinions through an emergency standing board meeting on the evening of the 10th and a governance meeting on the 11th involving medical residents and medical school professors before announcing its course of action.
The KMA has repeatedly called for halting enrollment increases, arguing that "the projection results themselves lack scientific basis and the government is rushing to conclusions under self-imposed deadlines." The association contends that current educational infrastructure cannot possibly handle the surge in numbers when medical students who took leaves of absence and those returning from military service rejoin existing enrollment. The KMA's Medical Policy Research Institute has released research suggesting "a potential oversupply of up to 13,967 physicians by 2035 and 17,967 by 2040."
Previous attempts to expand medical school enrollment have failed despite growing concerns about physician shortages amid rapid aging—largely due to collective resistance from medical groups. Since the 2000 separation of prescribing and dispensing, the medical community has repeatedly played the "strike card" whenever policies unfavorable to physicians, such as telemedicine or enrollment expansion, were proposed. Strikes at major hospitals treating severe and emergency patients directly affect public health, placing significant burden on the government. This has been the biggest barrier to expanding medical personnel. During the implementation of the prescribing-dispensing separation, medical school quotas were even reduced as the government used them as a tool to appease the medical community.
This time, however, the KMA is taking a cautious stance toward collective action. The biggest obstacle, paradoxically, is that the government has largely accommodated the medical community's demands. This enrollment plan was derived through the "scientific projection body" the medical community had long demanded, and the committee composition process significantly increased the share of medical community-recommended members. The justification for collective action seen under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration—"a groundless 2,000-person increase"—is difficult to apply here.
Public opinion remains negative, and whether medical residents and students who led protests since the 2020 enrollment expansion attempt will take up the cause again remains uncertain. The Korea Intern Resident Association recently informed the KMA of an internal survey showing 75% of respondents believe "active response is necessary." Medical students have also clearly expressed opposition, citing concerns about substandard education. However, most observers believe a repeat of the 2024 mass resignations or coordinated leaves of absence is virtually impossible.
"Even participation rates among private practice physicians in strikes have been low, so they are more likely to seek practical gains through negotiations with the government rather than engage in collective action without justification," a medical industry source said.