A Nation Divided by Scalpel: The Medical School Admissions Debate

On April 4, 2025, President Yoon Suk-yeol was unanimously dismissed by the Constitutional Court, with all eight justices recognizing serious constitutional violations. In the aftermath, one of the most controversial policies during his presidency—the expansion of medical school admissions has resurfaced with much contention.

Last year, the South Korean government introduced the “Essential Healthcare Policy Package,” aiming to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 starting from the 2025 academic year, with a long-term goal of training 10,000 new doctors. The package included reforms to boost the medical workforce, improve regional healthcare, establish a medical accident safety net, and ensure fairer compensation.

Upon announcement, the plan faced strong backlash from doctors and medical students, who argued it would overwhelm training systems and aggravate existing problems. The protests brought the medical field to a near standstill. Although some medical professionals have returned to work, the core conflict remains unresolved, highlighting the need for deeper discussion and long-term solutions.

One of the most pressing issues in South Korea’s healthcare system is the imbalance in medical services. Doctors are heavily concentrated in the capital region, and many prefer specialties such as dermatology and plastic surgery. Meanwhile, essential fields like internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics, and gynecology are increasingly avoided. This trend suggests that fear of medical malpractice and litigation greatly influences career choices among healthcare professionals.

The government argues that increasing the number of doctors will intensify competition in popular specialties, eventually redistributing talent to essential fields. It also seeks to prevent the outflow of doctors from general and university hospitals by introducing measures such as banning mixed billing and allowing non-medical professionals to perform certain cosmetic procedures. However, these policies could limit physicians’ primary sources of income, leading to resistance.

In contrast, doctors and medical students argue that simply increasing admissions will not resolve the underlying problems. Even graduates from regional medical schools often move to Seoul, and those who start in essential medical fields may eventually switch to more lucrative specialties or become salaried doctors. Some warn that the more aggressively the government pushes its agenda under the guise of public safety, the worse the avoidance of essential medical fields may become.

Ultimately, the issue of expanding medical school admissions is not just a matter of numbers. It’s a structural challenge for the entire healthcare system. For meaningful and sustainable reform, trust and dialogue between the government and medical professionals are essential. Now is the time for compromise and constructive action.