The Korean Medical Association has urged the government to stop unprepared expansions of medical schools.
On October 31, the association held a national representative meeting at its headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, to discuss responses to the government's medical school enrollment expansion policy. The association stated, "The government must acknowledge the realities of medical education in 2027 and immediately halt the rushed expansion. It is not normal education to cram thousands of students into an environment lacking classrooms and professors. We will not accept any numbers that the field cannot accommodate."
They further emphasized, "Unprepared medical school expansions will pass on a financial disaster worth hundreds of trillions to future generations. The government must honestly disclose the reality behind the facade of expansion, which hides the burden of increased health insurance premiums from the public." The association added, "If the government continues to ignore the opinions of numerous experts and forces fake deliberations, we will no longer tolerate it."
Kim Taek-woo, president of the association, criticized the government for attempting to repeat the 'numbers game' under pressure to finalize medical school enrollments for the 2027 academic year. He noted that 67.5% of medical schools nationwide have exceeded their classroom capacity, and it is impossible to find basic medical professors that meet the standards set by the Medical Education Accreditation Board. He warned that unprepared expansions would produce doctors lacking clinical competencies, thereby degrading the quality of medical services.
Kim also pointed out, "While advanced countries like the United States carefully review dozens of variables over more than two years, our government is hastily pushing for long-term predictions based on scant variables in just five months. We must carefully examine this through scientific and objective indicators and procedures. If we are not ready, we should not force an expansion."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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