South Korea open to readjusting medical school quota

Seoul, Sep 6 (IANS) South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is open to readjusting the country's medical school admission quota for 2026 and would welcome it if a negotiating panel is formed between the rival parties, the government and the medical community to discuss the issue, an official said on Friday.

The position raises hope for a breakthrough in the prolonged walkout by thousands of junior doctors protesting the government's decision in February to increase the medical school quota by 2,000 from the previous 3,058 and keep the increased quota over the next five years, Yonhap news agency reported.

Even though the drawn-out walkout has led to disruptions in hospital services across the nation, especially emergency room operations, Yoon had been believed to be firmly sticking to the 2,000-seat increase.

"It is fake news that President Yoon Suk Yeol is insisting on the 2,000-seat increase," a senior official told Yonhap News Agency by phone. "We are willing to hold frank discussions with an open mind if they bring us reasonable and scientific estimates."

Earlier in the day, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) also urged the medical community to return to dialogue, stressing that both the PPP and the government are willing to discuss the medical reform issue from the ground up.

PPP floor leader Rep. Choo Kyung-ho appealed during a party meeting at the National Assembly, urging doctors to return to negotiations with the government to come up with a "reasonable" agreement on increasing the medical school admissions quota.

"It is the government and the PPP's position that we are open to discussing the health reform issue, including the expansion of medical school seats for 2026," Choo said.PPP leader Han Dong-hoon also proposed establishing a joint consultative body involving the rival parties, the government and the medical community to address the ongoing shortage of medical services and to improve the regional and essential healthcare systems.

"The prolonged disruption in medical services due to the issue of increasing the medical school admissions quota has caused great inconvenience to the public and raised concerns over emergency medical services," he said at a briefing at the National Council of Churches in Korea ahead of his meeting with religious leaders.A senior presidential official said the office is "positive" about Han's proposal."The priority is for the medical community to come out to the negotiating table," the official said. "We will discuss the medical school quota issue from square one if the medical community comes up with a reasonable proposal."

The government has argued that a sharp increase is inevitable to address a shortage of doctors. However, doctors claim that medical schools are not equipped to handle the increased enrollment, and such a sharp increase will compromise the quality of medical education and ultimately the country's medical services.

After coordinating details with medical schools, next year's quota was set at 4,610.