Medical students re-enrol, but is the boycott really over?

In a possible end to a bitter standoff with the government lasting over a year, South Korean medical students who have been on a prolonged ‘leave of absence’ in protest over a policy to increase medical school admissions have registered for the upcoming academic year and are expected to return to campus.

Universities have commenced lectures, either by officially launching the academic term on 31 March – a month later than normal – or by integrating returning students into ongoing classes.

A majority of institutions have also expanded online learning options to protect students from potential backlash from those students who support a continued boycott.

According to university sources, by 31 March – the government-imposed deadline for students to re-enrol or face expulsion and revocation of their student status – the vast majority of students at 36 out of 40 medical schools nationwide had registered at their institutions.

Universities are actively encouraging students to return. Seoul National University College of Medicine has opted to conduct online classes for the first one to two weeks of the semester, with only select upper-year courses being delivered in person.

One SNU professor commented: “Previously, during online lectures, we could see which students were attending, but we have now removed names from the attendance list to prevent individuals from feeling pressured not to participate.”

Gyeongsang National University and Dongguk University, which accepted late registrations on 1 April, reported that all students had expressed their intention to return.

Inje University, the sole institution maintaining a non-registration stance, also announced on 2 April its students would re-enrol.

While this has prevented a mass expulsion crisis, underlying issues that sparked the boycott remain unresolved. It is also unclear whether enrolled students will actually return to classes.

Increase in medical school places

In February 2024 the administration of President Yoon Suk-yeol announced an increase of 2,000 in the number of medical students from the 2025 academic year as part of a plan to increase by 10,000 the number of doctors by 2035. The number of medical student places has been fixed nationally at 3,058 since 2005.

The move to increase the number of places sparked a huge backlash from students and professors who feared overcrowded classrooms, lower standards of clinical training as a result of there being more students per professor, and a scramble for jobs on graduation.

Medical students boycotted classes and took leave of absence en masse while many trained doctors resigned. The situation, unresolved until now, has caused major disruption in hospitals.

Official rollback still uncertain

The Ministry of Education has reiterated that a possible rollback of the planned increase in medical school admissions for 2026, which would restore the intake to the pre-expansion figure of 3,058 students, hinges on whether normal academic operations can resume.

The ministry has emphasised that medical students must actually attend classes to be considered “reinstated”, rather than simply re-enrol to avoid expulsion.

Consequently, student participation in lectures will be decisive in resolving the situation, experts said.

Speaking at a routine press briefing on 31 March, Ministry of Education spokesperson Koo Yeon-hee stated: “Nothing has been decided yet regarding the re-enrolment rate or medical school admissions.

However, the government will honour its promise not to proceed with the expansion if students return in a manner that is deemed satisfactory.”

It said in a 1 April statement: “With medical students returning, the process of normalising medical education has begun.”

The ministry said that it would “evaluate each university’s progress in delivering lectures before announcing adjustments to the admissions policy in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including the Korean Association of Medical Colleges (KAMC) and the Council of Medical School Deans”.

The Council of Medical School Deans in a statement on 1 April, acknowledging the near-complete return of students, said: “We deeply appreciate the courage of those who have chosen to resume their studies despite the challenges.”

The council cautioned against attempts to abstain from attending classes despite re-enrolling, stressing such actions “must not occur”.

At Yonsei University College of Medicine, where the “emergency response committee” issued a statement on 31 March which informed students that “the direction of the struggle for the 2025 academic year is ‘leave of absence and refusal of classes’”, security measures have been put in place to protect returning students from potential harassment.

Notices across campus said student IDs may be required for entry, while university staff were stationed at entrances to prevent unauthorised access.

A Yonsei University spokesperson explained the precautions were necessary to prevent students who attend classes from being targeted or labelled as “traitors” by boycotting students.

Will students attend classes?

Attendance is still in question. Medical deans have not officially announced the number of returning students.

On 1 April, student participation rates were notably low. According to a survey conducted by the Korean Medical Student Association (KMSA) on 2 April, only 3.87% of 6,571 respondents across 15 universities attended classes.

Gachon University recorded the lowest attendance rate at just 0.41%, with only one of its 245 medical students present. Even at the University of Ulsan, which reported the highest participation, only 9.49% of students were in attendance.

A medical student from Yonsei University, speaking to University World News on 2 April, said: “I have returned and attended class, but I am aware of the prevailing discontent among students. It feels as though the government and universities have made a conditional promise: if we return, they will comply with our demands.”

However, the student noted there has been little government reflection “on why we opposed the policy in the first place. Many of us feel we had no choice but to return, driven by a sense of responsibility for medical services, rather than genuine resolution of our concerns”.

However, political analysts said the pending decision by the country’s Constitutional Court on 4 April on whether to uphold the impeachment of President Yoon after he declared martial law for a few hours in March could have an impact on plans to increase medical school admissions in future.

A clinical professor at a medical school in the Seoul metropolitan area told University World News on Thursday, the day before the expected court ruling: “I don’t even want to imagine President Yoon's impeachment being dismissed.”

He added: “If that happens, the current (Yoon) administration will push even harder for policies like the increase in medical school admissions, which the medical community has strongly opposed.

“But if the impeachment is upheld, the medical sector might be able to discuss more positive scenarios. The government would inevitably have to slow down in pushing its policies.”