Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Medical students' return plan opens door to ending 17-month standoff
Lee Sun-woo, head of the emergency committee of the Korean Medical Student Association, speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Saturday. Newsis
By Jung Min-ho
Detailed timeline for resumption of study yet to be decided
Thousands of medical students are planning to return to studies after 17 months of boycotting classes in protest of the government-led medical school quota hike, signaling an end to a prolonged standoff that strained the country’s health care system.
Their return, however, is unlikely to be immediate, as their schools and the government need to decide whether to allow them to return without any disciplinary measures for the long-term absence. Moreover, full recovery of medical service disruptions will be possible only when junior doctors, who also left hospitals in protest, also return to work.
The Korean Medical Student Association announced the decision to return on Saturday, blaming the prolonged standoff on the previous administration and expressing trust in President Lee Jae Myung, with whom they hope to open negotiations.
However, the group offered no details on how or when students would return, casting doubt on whether a full resumption is imminent.
“Korea’s medical system is in an unprecedented crisis. This devastating outcome was caused by the unilateral actions and policy failures of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration,” the group said. “As a result, patients who should not have lost their lives have died, and many patients and their families are now in despair … This situation must be resolved without delay.”
The group urged the government to take steps to facilitate their return and to establish a consultative body with medical representatives to improve training conditions for students and junior doctors. Still, they offered no timeline for when classes would resume.
The move is widely seen as an attempt to pressure the government to allow students back before academic penalties are finalized, with most medical schools expected to make those decisions later this month. Since February 2024, when medical students started taking long leaves of absence and boycotting classes, only about half have returned. If the standoff continues, more than 8,000 students could face disciplinary action for prolonged absences, including 46 at risk of expulsion.
Korea’s protracted medical crisis began in February last year after the government unveiled a controversial plan to sharply increase medical school admissions — a move aimed at addressing a shortage of doctors in essential medical fields amid the country’s rapidly aging population.
The proposal triggered immediate backlash, with thousands of junior doctors, including interns and residents, submitting mass resignations later that month, effectively paralyzing major hospitals. The standoff stretched on for more than a year, intensifying as senior physicians joined the protest and medical students boycotted classes throughout 2024 and into 2025.
The central question now is whether the government will allow students to return without facing probation or expulsion, as it looks to resolve the ongoing medical crisis through negotiations with doctors and other stakeholders.
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok welcomed the move, calling it a “big step forward” and pledging to pursue a path to resolution through dialogue, although he offered no details on how that would be achieved.
“The president has been continuously contemplating solutions to the issue while instructing me and other government officials to work on it,” Kim said on social media Sunday. “The will of the people is ultimately important. In order for the public to help resolve the issue, it is time for doctors, the National Assembly and the government to examine the matter more deeply.”
Kim also criticized the previous administration for failing to determine a reasonable admissions target, accusing it of pushing for 2,000 additional medical school slots without sufficient supporting data.
The move has also revived debate over the return of junior doctors who previously abandoned hospitals, causing major disruptions — especially to emergency services. The Korean Intern Resident Association recently surveyed 8,458 trainee physicians to outline conditions for their return, which it plans to present to Rep. Park Ju-min of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Monday.
Meanwhile, patient advocacy groups have criticized doctors, accusing them of leveraging patients’ health as a bargaining chip in ongoing negotiations.
“The doctors have not offered a single word of apology for the public harm caused by the collective actions of junior doctors and medical students,” said the Korea Severe Disease Association, an advocacy group for patient rights. “We will continue to firmly criticize all medical policies and practices that disregard public interest and patient rights, and will keep raising our voice until a health care system is established where patients’ lives are the top priority.”