Medical student boycott sparks fears of academic chaos amid enrollment surge

This photo shows a sign of medical school in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

A leave of absence for medical school students is being extended over three months, as the Ministry of Education on Thursday confirmed the first increase in medical school enrollments in 27 years.

As the likelihood of students facing academic setbacks rises, medical school professors are increasing their calls for the acceptance of leaves of absence.

Jeonbuk National University announced the resumption of lectures in April, but classes have not started as scheduled. In response to low attendance in offline classes, the university has made online lectures available for students to access at their convenience. However, participation remains minimal, as reported by the university.

At Jeonbuk National University's medical school, 650 out of 673 students, or 96 percent, excluding 141 freshmen, have applied for a leave of absence.

Similarly, Wonkwang University in Iksan, North Jeolla Province resumed classes on April 29, but students have refused to attend. Despite offering both online and offline classes, the participation rate remains low. Out of the 473 students enrolled in Wonkwang University's medical school, 453 have submitted leave of absence applications.

As of the end of last month, the number of applications for an effective leave of absence from 40 medical schools nationwide reached 16,262. This figure is equivalent to 56.5 percent of the 18,793 medical students enrolled nationwide as of April last year.

However, a larger number of medical school students is believed to be refusing to attend classes.

According to the Korea Association of Medical Colleges (KAMC), 97.3 percent of medical school students had either applied for leaves of absence or were refusing to attend classes as of May 19.

As the possibility of students facing academic setbacks grows, certain medical professors suggest that universities authorize leave of absence requests by students.

Despite this plea, the education ministry has maintained a firm stance, asserting that unified student strikes are not valid grounds for leaves of absence. This stance has heightened tensions between the government and the medical community.

Currently, universities have not come up with clear strategies for handling medical school students' leave of absence applications in response to the ministry's guidelines.

Doctors hold a candlelight vigil, to protest the government's decision to boost medical school enrollment quotas, at Deoksu Palace in central Seoul, Thursday.

Meanwhile, the education ministry announced, Thursday, that a total of 1,540 slots will be added across 40 medical schools nationwide, making the quota increase irreversible.

The Supreme Court is currently reviewing the decision to suspend the enforcement of this increase, which was previously rejected by the Seoul High Court. However, the education community believes that the latest announcement has effectively made it difficult to halt the implementation of the medical school quota hike.

In response, members of the Korean Medical Association (KMA) held candlelight vigils in six regions across the country on Thursday night to protest the government's push to increase the number of medical school enrollment slots.

During a candlelight vigil in front of Deoksu Palace in central Seoul, Lim Hyun-taek, the head of the KMA, declared that a major offensive against what he described as the government's "medical policy manipulation" would commence in earnest in June.

"Not only doctors, students and professors, but also medical practitioners should all join this fight," Lim said.

Although Lim did not specify tactics such as a general strike, he indicated that the response would be firm and uncompromising.