Medical dispute enters second year of deadlock

A standoff between the South Korean government and the medical community, sparked by a plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 students, has entered its second year with no resolution in sight. A year has passed since some 9,200 trainee doctors collectively resigned in protest of the policy, but only 2% have reapplied for positions in the first half of this year. The number of newly licensed doctors, which typically stands at 3,000 annually, has dropped to one-tenth of that figure, while new medical specialists—typically 2,800 per year—have fallen to a fifth of previous levels. Meanwhile, 18,000 medical students remain on an extended leave of absence, forcing 32 out of 40 medical schools nationwide to delay the start of their spring semester by a month.

The government has maintained that emergency measures have prevented major disruptions in medical services. However, cancer surgeries at top-tier hospitals have declined by 20–30%, and organ transplants in some facilities have dropped by 35%. One analysis found that over 3,000 patients died in the first six months of the crisis due to delays in treatment. The government has poured 3.3 trillion won into makeshift solutions, drawing from emergency funds, national health insurance reserves, and local disaster management budgets. Despite these efforts, South Korea’s leading trauma training center nearly shut down recently due to a lack of 900 million won in government funding. Critics argue that the government has spent massive public funds without effectively ensuring patient care.

Efforts to resolve the impasse remain stalled. Even after the government issued a public apology and the leadership of the Korean Medical Association (KMA) shifted, talks between the two sides have made no progress. On Feb. 17, KMA representatives sought intervention from the National Assembly, but the meeting yielded no breakthroughs. A vicious cycle has persisted for over a year, with the government repeatedly urging doctors to return to work while doctors continue to demand a justifiable reason to do so. The government’s inability to contain its own misstep is regrettable, but so is the intransigence of doctors in insisting on a rationale for their return without offering viable alternatives to the proposed reform. Meanwhile, lawmakers—who should be mediating the dispute—have done little beyond issuing vague verbal assurances of action.

Once the new academic year begins, the crisis will likely deepen further. With medical schools already struggling to accommodate the expanded class sizes, three institutions failed their latest accreditation review. If mass student absences continue, education could become unsustainable as early as next year. Deficits at 11 national university hospitals doubled last year to 570 billion won. Should government funding run dry, regional hospitals may be forced to close. The immediate priority is setting this year’s medical school enrollment cap. Given university admissions deadlines and the academic calendar, the window for a decision closes by the end of the month. A viable compromise must be reached to bring back trainee doctors and students.