The "resignation wave" initiated by South Korean medical personnel to expand the enrollment of medical students continues to ferment, and a large number of medical students are also involved. According to data released by the Ministry of Education of South Korea on the 23rd, more than 10,000 medical students in colleges and universities have collectively applied for suspension in the past four days, accounting for about 60% of the total number of medical students.
South Korea** announced earlier this month that it would increase the number of students enrolled in medical schools in colleges and universities to 5,058 in the 2025 academic year from 3,058 in order to address the shortage of doctors. The expansion has met with strong opposition from medical groups and medical students, who say it would spark overtreatment and strain the health care system. Some critics point out that medical staff are actually concerned that the expansion plan will lead to a decrease in their income.
South Korea's Ministry of Education said on the 23rd that as of 18:00 on the 22nd, there were about 1150,000 medical students applied for leave of absence, accounting for 61 percent of the total number of medical students1%。Another 346 students submitted applications for leave of absence and were persuaded by the university to withdraw them. The Ministry of Education pointed out that applying for a group leave of absence for the purpose of the ** expansion plan does not meet the conditions for suspension.
South Korea's Deputy Prime Minister in charge of social affairs and Minister of Education Lee Joo-ho held a meeting with the heads of 40 universities and medical schools across the country on the 23rd, asking the university to assist in bringing students back to the classroom and restoring the normal operation of schools.
According to the data released by South Korea on the 23rd, as of the evening of the 22nd, a total of 8,897 interns and residents in 94 hospitals across the country have submitted their resignations, accounting for 78 of the total number of interns and residents5%。
In the face of the collective "resignation wave" of doctors, South Korea established the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 23rd and held its first meeting to launch an interdepartmental response system. Prime Minister Han Duck-so said at the meeting that public hospitals will be asked to extend their working hours while temporarily easing restrictions on telemedicine to fill medical vacancies.