Professors resign as medical school quota dispute escalates

Professors from medical schools in South Korea began to tender their resignations this week in opposition to the government’s plan to increase medical school admissions quotas, leaving the country’s medical education and training in deep crisis. The resignations take place amid government threats to penalise striking specialists, including revoking their medical licences.

The professors’ action is in support of thousands of medical trainees and junior doctors who began a countrywide walkout on 19 February. Withdrawing the government plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 places would allow medical students, residents, and professors to return to their positions, as well as stem pending legal action against specialists.

In a statement on 25 March, the Emergency Response Committee of the Medical Professors Association of Korea said: “We will submit resignation letters today. We feel responsible for failing to prevent this crisis, and after completing patient treatments we will leave our positions as professors at teaching hospitals.”

The statement read: “We demand the government withdraw its plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 and engage in sincere dialogue with the medical community.” It is backed by professors at 19 medical schools nationwide, including Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, Hanyang University, and Ewha Womans University.

The Ministry of Education last week announced the distribution of the 2,000 extra places after Korea’s 40 medical schools applied for extra slots. The ministry said it had received applications for 3,400 new slots, though the total will be capped at 2,000.

Of South Korea’s 40 medical universities, 27 of them located outside the greater Seoul area bid for 2,471 extra places, or almost 73% of the total.

In its original proposal on 6 February, which sparked the current backlash, the government said it would prioritise institutions outside the capital region as part of its plan to address regional disparities.

Resistance is growing

As not all schools have disclosed the scale of resignation submissions, the exact magnitude of the resignations is still unknown. However, 433 professors from hospitals affiliated with Asan Medical Center Seoul, Asan Medical Center Ulsan, and Gangneung Asan Hospital have submitted resignation letters.

The number of participating schools and professors is increasing. Professors from Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Kyung Hee University, and Chung-Ang University, who were not part of the 25 March announcement, began submitting resignation letters from 26 March.

The Emergency Response Committee of the Medical Professors’ Association of SKKU announced the results of a survey conducted from 15-19 March among SKKU’s School of Medicine and hospital-affiliated professors, stating that around 83.1% of respondents “supported collective action, and more than two-thirds agreed to ‘voluntary resignations’”.

Professors who submit resignation letters plan to continue outpatient, surgical, and inpatient treatments within a shortened 52-hour working week for the time being. Additionally, outpatient services will be reduced to a minimum starting from 1 April.

A general medicine professor at a university hospital in Seoul said: “If the professor turnover rate reaches 30%, surgery for emergency patients such as cerebrovascular and severe trauma will decrease.”

The professor added: “Given the significant workload the remaining professors have to bear due to the strikes, confusion in the medical field is inevitable. The government’s decision this time is a serious issue to the extent that doctors are leaving hospitals.”

Quality of medical education

Doctors argue that the increase in quotas will compromise the quality of medical education.

“In most of the universities that have increased admissions, such as Chungbuk University and Pusan National University, which have increased their numbers by up to four times the current capacity, it has already been confirmed that [the same quality of] education is impossible,” the Medical Professors Association of Korea stated, referring to inadequate numbers of professors to teach the additional students.

According to the Ministry of Education’s 24 March announcement on the 2025 Medical School admissions allocation by university, some universities, including Chungbuk University with a current enrolment of 49, will increase their capacity by three to four times more than their existing quota.

According to the current Higher Education Act and Medical Act, medical schools must undergo an accreditation process every two to six years. The evaluation is conducted by the Korean Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation (KIMEE), commissioned by the Ministry of Education.

Evaluation is based on 92 criteria in nine areas, including educational resources and faculty, and is designed to be in line with global standards for medical education set by the World Federation for Medical Education.

According to the government’s allocation by university, 30 medical schools with an increase in student numbers of more than 10% over their current intake must submit a “Major Change Plan” to the KIMEE by the end of this year.

If the evaluation suggests the changes will have a negative impact on education, they will have to go through the accreditation process earlier than scheduled.

KIMEE directly opposed the government’s policy of increasing medical school admissions in a statement released on 24 March. It stated: “The government's announcement of increased admissions and allocation without adequately considering the educational conditions of each university will mean the deterioration of medical education achieved through decades of effort.

“It is obvious that the quality and capabilities of graduates who receive such education will decline. Education conditions must ensure sufficient faculty, infrastructure, and educational capacity, which requires considerable time and effort.”

KIMEE proposed the formation of an expert advisory group, which would include them, to discuss the scale and timing of admissions increases.

In an interview with a local medical journal, KIMEE President Ahn Deok-seon said: “It’s difficult to discuss the possibility of rejection before investigating the actual situation, but without changes in educational conditions, it is impossible to provide adequate medical education with an increase of 2,000 students.”

With a significant increase in places, “substantial investments in facilities, personnel, and affiliated hospitals are necessary”, he said, adding: “The idea that the same level of quality medical education can be achieved without such investments is mistaken.”

A surgery professor at a university in Seoul said government claims that the quality of education will not decline were unfounded.

“Lecture-based teaching may be possible, but lectures account for a small portion of overall medical education. Practical education is crucial for nurturing students into practising doctors, and with more students, problem-based and case-based learning cannot be carried out.

“It's busy even with two to three students per professor. Professors are involved in clinical practice and mentoring residents (junior doctors). They cannot take on more students,” said the professor.

Medical students’ leave of absence

In addition to strikes by specialists and the mass resignations of medical school professors, medical students are also opting to take a ‘leave of absence’.

According to the Ministry of Education, as of 26 March the cumulative total of leave of absence applications from students reached 8,967 – approximately 47.7% of the total medical school enrolment (18,793) as of April last year.

The Korean Medical Students’ Association put forward leave of absence applications from 40 medical schools on 24 March and threatened to file administrative lawsuits if these were not accepted by the authorities.

They also released their own demands including the withdrawal of the admissions increase plan, acknowledgment of government responsibility, as well as a public apology from the government.

They stated: “Discussions that do not reflect students' voices are not proper mediation. Students are the main stakeholders in medical education, and the medical student association should participate in decision-making processes.”

With no current sign of resolution and parliamentary elections due to be held on 10 April, President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasised during a 26 March Cabinet meeting that increasing medical school admissions is “the starting point” for healthcare reform.

“Since it will take another 10 years for the increased workforce to graduate, other healthcare reform tasks must be swiftly implemented,” he said.