Education Minister Lee Ju-ho announces the nationwide medical school admissions quote for the 2026 academic year from the Seoul government complex on April 17, 2025. (Kim Young-won/Hankyoreh)
The government has confirmed that the medical school admission quota for the 2026 academic year will be at 3,058 students, what it had been before the government’s proposal to increase the cap. As part of its pledge to “normalize” medical schools, the government had previously said in March that it would return the quota to the 2024 academic year level, but now it has raised the white flag before even students protesting through leaves of absence had returned to their classrooms.
On Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho held a press briefing at the Seoul government complex with the Association of Medical School Presidents for the Advancement of Medical Schools and the Korea Association of Medical Colleges (KAMC) to announce adjustments to medical school admissions for the 2026 academic year.
“We have accepted the proposal of the medical school presidents’ association and the KAMC to restore the admission quota to the 2024 standard [of 3,058 students],” he announced.
The number of new students enrolled in 40 medical schools nationwide last year was 5,058. But this number has been reduced to the 2024 quota for the 2026 academic year.
The Ministry of Education announced its “Measures to Normalize Medical School Education” on March 7, adding that if medical school students returned to their positions by the end of March, the ministry would restore the 2026 admissions quota to 3,058. In response, a large number of students and residents who had been on strike returned to school and registered as students, but many of them still did not attend classes.
As of April 16, the percentage of students attending classes at the 40 medical schools nationwide was 25.9%, according to Education Ministry statistics. Yet the ministry still abandoned its vow to “normalize classes” and used the proposals of medical school presidents and the KAMC to restore the 2024 admissions quota.
The plan to expand medical school admissions behind the year-long health care vacuum in the nation has effectively gone up in smoke.
“This is a betrayal and a fundamental about-face on the government’s pledges to increase the number of doctors in the country and carry out health care reforms,” the Korea Alliance of Patients Organization said in a statement.
“If we once again yield to the collective action of health care professionals, it’s unclear if we’ll ever get an increase in medical school admissions or people-centered reforms of the health care system,” said the Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice.
By Park Tae-woo, staff reporter; Lee Woo-yeon, staff reporter
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