Kim Taek-woo, the President of the Korean Medical Association, holds a press conference to commemorate his inauguration at 3 PM on Dec. 16 and states, “To reflect the voices of those directly involved in the medical crisis — residents and medical students — we appoint Park Dan as the Vice Chairman of the Korean Association of Medical Residents and significantly expand the participation of young doctors.” He adds, “The executive body will resolve the pressing issues facing the medical community.” /Courtesy of Heo Ji-yun.

Amid calls for dialogue from the government to the medical community, the Korean Medical Association has increased pressure on the government, stating, "The government that caused confusion must first present a master plan containing specific measures for normalizing medical school education."

Korean Medical Association President Kim Taek-woo held his first press conference since taking office on the afternoon of the 16th at the Korean Medical Association auditorium in Yongsan, Seoul, urging the government to present a master plan for normalizing medical school education in 2025.

He argued, "The government must recognize that it is impossible to properly conduct medical school education in its current state, and should prepare and announce clear plans and policies so that the medical community can discuss educational plans for medical school enrollment issues in 2026 as well."

The results of the Korean Medical Association's executive appointments were also disclosed that day. Park Dan, chair of the emergency response committee of the Korean Intern Resident Association, who had represented interns, was appointed as the vice president of the Korean Medical Association.

In response to questions about what measures the medical community would propose to resolve the conflict with the government, Kim and Park answered in unison, saying, "The medical community has repeatedly told the government that its proposals were not feasible, yet it has continued to push forward." They added, "The government, which exacerbated the situation without listening to opinions from the field, must come up with measures to address the problems."

As conflict with the government continued in the wake of the announcement of the medical school enrollment expansion policy last year and a proclamation during the state of emergency on Dec. 3 that included the phrase 'punish the interns', the government recently stated that it would reassess the total enrollment of medical schools for the 2026 academic year. While it did not specify the exact scale, it implied through dialogue with the medical community that the enrollment for the 2026 academic year, which was increased by 2,000 to a total of 5,058, could be significantly reduced.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Joo-ho emphasized once again on the 10th that a total budget of 606.2 billion won would be invested this year to improve medical education conditions, including an increase in faculty, expansion of facilities and equipment, and support for educational innovation, assuring that classes would proceed smoothly when medical students return.

In relation to this, new vice president Park Dan noted, "It is difficult to evaluate the possibility of education based solely on the budget," and added, "There are schools that have seen increases of three to four times compared to before, but from the perspective of someone who has actually experienced the education, it is impossible to provide proper education on site."

Park Dan, the newly appointed Vice Chairman (non-full-time) of the Korean Medical Association and head of the Korean Association of Medical Residents Emergency Response Committee, states at the Korean Medical Association auditorium on Dec. 16, “Due to the increase in medical school admissions, current medical education is virtually impossible,” and “The government, which has exacerbated the situation without listening to the voices from the medical field, must present measures.” /Courtesy of Heo Ji-yun.

This year's first-year class must accommodate approximately 7,500 students simultaneously, combining over 3,000 students who took a leave of absence last year and 4,500 new students this year. The current medical education curriculum consists of two years of pre-medical study followed by four years of medical study. The Ministry of Education stated that the first-year pre-medical classes are composed primarily of general subjects, so there would be no significant difficulties in operating the curriculum, but vice president Park pointed out that this is not the situation in reality.

Vice President Park remarked, "The Ministry of Education claims that it is acceptable because it is the pre-medical stage, but these students do not exclusively attend the pre-medical courses for six years, and they are not simply going to disappear suddenly," and added, "The Ministry of Education must present practical measures to resolve this situation." Some medical schools begin basic practice in the second semester of the second year, while practical classes are primarily conducted in the first and second years of medical study. While it is possible to educate in the first and second years of pre-medical study that focus mainly on general subjects, there are concerns that it is virtually impossible to conduct education during the four years of medical study, when practical training becomes more intensive.

Vice President Park stated, "The main reason for the outbreak of conflicts with the government lies in the desk-bound administration that does not reflect the voices of the field participants," noting, "The government should have first worked on improvements to the training environment and how to attract young generations into so-called unpopular specialties." He criticized, "The issue lies in the simplistic approach of thinking that if we select many medical students, someone will eventually enroll; the government has not sufficiently explained to the public who will cover the immense expense and how it will be managed."

Meanwhile, the newly unveiled Korean Medical Association's executive board is composed of ten non-standing vice presidents, including Park Myung-ha as the standing vice president and Park Dan as the chair of the emergency response committee of the Korean Intern Resident Association, as well as 32 standing directors and two research institute directors. President Kim stated, "We appointed Vice Chair Park as a vice president to reflect the voices of interns and medical students, who are at the heart of the medical crisis, as much as possible, and significantly expanded the participation of young doctors." He emphasized that he has appointed individuals with extensive experience in both struggle and negotiation and those with skills and passion.