Medical student groups push for government increase in medical school… fight next year too │ Magazine Hankyung

(Yonhap News) Medical students who took a leave of absence in protest against the government’s expansion of medical schools have decided to continue their struggle next year. It remains unclear whether the leave of absence will continue in March next year.

The Korean Medical University and Graduate School of Medicine Student Association (KMA) announced this at an expanded general meeting of all student representatives held at Space Share in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 15th.

On this day, about 270 people, including representatives from 40 medical school student councils and year groups across the country, attended the general meeting and discussed responses to current issues such as the current medical crisis and the association’s future actions.

The Korean Medical University Association announced that the motion to ‘proceed in the 2025 school year to carry out the struggle to implement the association’s demands to the government in order to correct the current problems caused by the government’ was passed with 267 votes in favor and 2 abstentions.

They agreed that whether to end the struggle in the future will be decided through a vote that reflects the opinions of the general membership. Due to this opinion, the decision on whether medical students will return to school in March next year has been postponed for the time being.

When asked whether the method of struggle is to continue the leave of absence, the Medical University Association said, “This meeting sets out a new direction for next year,” and added, “Details such as taking a leave of absence will be discussed at a later general meeting of student representatives. He answered.

Regarding the ruling and opposition party council, the position is that “(participation) is difficult as the President’s Office has repeatedly stated that discussions on the demands for the National Medical Council are impossible.” When asked whether next year’s new students will also participate in the struggle, the Medical University Association responded, “There cannot be any force that forces individual students to unconditionally follow the direction of the association.”

The Korea Medical Association said, “The government’s unscientific essential medical policy package and arbitrary promotion of the policy to increase the number of medical schools are ‘medical reform,'” and cited the government’s abandonment of responsibility and suppression of students’ human rights as reasons for deciding to fight.

Jo Joo-shin, joint chairman of the Korea Medical Association, argued, “We urged the government to fulfill its responsibilities to make wise decisions toward sustainable medical care, but the situation worsened by neglecting the government’s demands and neglecting its responsibilities.”

Their eight demands are: ▲ Complete cancellation of the essential medical package and increase in medical schools ▲ Establishment of health care governance with equal numbers of medical and government officials ▲ Investigation and apology for hasty implementation of medical policy ▲ Introduction of a system related to medical accidents that takes into account the special nature of medical practice ▲ Reasonable fee system ▲ Establishment of a medical delivery system ▲ Improvement of training environment ▲ Revocation of abuse of public power against those on leave of absence.

At the same time, Chairman Cho said, “The Minister of Education downplayed the basic rights of citizens to the extent of saying, ‘Students may not have the right to take a leave of absence,’ and placed a condition that ‘they must take classes next year.'” He added, “In the process, student human rights and medical education are protected.” “The scene is heading toward collapse,” he criticized.

They will write and announce a resolution based on the resolutions of the day at the 4th quarter regular general meeting of all student representatives of the Medical College Association on the 16th.

Reporter Kang Hong-min khm@hankyung.com