▲ Government officials and lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party hold a meeting at the National Assembly on Sept. 4, 2025. (Yonhap)

govt-medical bills

Gov't, ruling party agree to pass bills on improving essential health care

By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) - The government and the ruling Democratic Party (DP) said Thursday they will push to pass two bills aimed at strengthening essential medical care and narrowing regional discrepancies, after a monthslong medical standoff underscored the urgency of addressing doctor shortages in essential fields.

The meeting, attended by officials of the health ministry, the presidential office and the DP at the National Assembly, was held to discuss the legislative tasks to be dealt with under the Lee Jae Myung government during the ongoing regular session.

The officials agreed to move forward with the special act on essential and regional health care, and the regional doctor training act, to address key points of medical reform.

Under the regional doctor training act, medical schools will be required to admit a certain proportion of students through a special track designated for regional doctors. The students would receive full tuition but will be required to work at public health institutions for a certain period after obtaining their medical license.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, DP Rep. Lee Soo-jin voiced concerns over the rate of junior doctors returning to hospitals.

"It is worrisome that the rate of return to local training hospitals in essential fields such as pediatrics remains low," she said. "We stressed at the meeting that the essential health care act and the regional doctor act should be passed within the current session to prevent such problems from recurring."

Lee added that the government plans to make amendments to the law to better protect patients who have suffered amid the prolonged standoff between the government and the medical community.

The standoff began in February 2024, when thousands of trainee doctors walked off their jobs while many medical students boycotted classes in protest against the government's plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 to around 5,000 each year starting in 2025.

Medical students and now trainee doctors decided to end their collective action after the government reversed course earlier this year, restoring the 2026 admissions quota to its previous level of about 3,000.

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