 |
| ▲ This undated file photo shows the entrance of a medical school in Seoul. (Yonhap) |
medical school-quota
Gov't to gradually raise medical school quota by 668 annually until 2031
SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- The health ministry on Tuesday unveiled a plan to gradually increase the nation's medical school admission quota by an average of 668 students annually through 2031.
Under the new plan, the total number of medical students is projected to rise to 3,548 in 2027 and to 3,671 in 2028 and 2029, up from a quota of 3,058 in 2026, according to the ministry.
The increase will apply to the regional doctor track at 32 medical schools outside Seoul.
These schools will see their collective quota increase by 490 in 2027, by 613 in both 2028 and 2029, and by 813 in 2030 and 2031.
Beginning in the 2030 academic year, a public medical school and a regional medical school will be established, each with an enrollment of 100 new students. It will raise the total medical school quota to 3,871.
The former Yoon Suk Yeol government had sharply raised the quota by 2,000 for the 2025 academic year to 5,058. But concerns about the rapid expansion led some schools to adjust their numbers, resulting in a nationwide total of 4,567 admissions for that year.
Historically, the medical school quota has fluctuated. It stood at 1,040 in the 1950s and steadily grew to a peak of 3,507 in 1998. In 2006, due to a government policy separating the prescribing and dispensing of medicine, the quota was reduced to 3,058, where it remained until 2024.
The former government's decision to raise the quota triggered a yearslong walkout by trainee doctors nationwide.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
