As the presidents of 40 universities with medical schools decided not to approve the medical students' applications for leave of absence until the 21st, professors from Yonsei University’s medical school urged them to cancel this decision.
The Yonsei University Medical School Emergency Response Committee stated on the 20th in a position paper regarding the Ministry of Education's notification regarding the collective leave of absence for medical students, "We support the students' rightful exercise of their rights through normal general leave of absence and will ensure that no unfair disadvantages occur."
On the 18th, the Ministry of Education sent an official document to the 40 universities with medical schools, conveying its policy that large-scale collective leave of absence for medical students is not permitted. The presidents' council for promoting medical education (medical council), which is a meeting of these university presidents, also held an online meeting to agree to reject the leave applications of medical students and to handle any subsequent expulsion or retention in accordance with the principles outlined in the school regulations.
The Yonsei University Medical School Emergency Response Committee claimed that "the Ministry of Education has only exacerbated the educational issues in the medical field that have persisted for over a year" and that "the official document sent without even defining the concept of collective leave of absence is pressuring us not to approve leave based on grounds outside the authority granted to the Ministry of Education."
They emphasized that medical students have followed the procedure for normal leave of absence by preparing the required format and documents based on the university regulations. There must be respect for students' decisions regarding their leave.
They stated, "If a student's normal leave of absence application is not accepted according to the order of the administration, it will lead them to expulsion mechanically, like an object on a conveyor belt," adding, "The government is essentially strangling medical education."
Concerning the claim that senior medical students are preventing juniors from resuming classes, they noted it is an issue of 'some.' They mentioned, "There has been no evidence presented, and even if there were, it appears to be limited to some students who monitor each other and spread narratives that coerce others into taking leave," arguing that "the essence of the issue is a trap laid by the government to redirect the conflict between students and themselves into internal issues among professors and students."
They continued, "Students are engaged in a lonely struggle against the government," and they added, "Professors will support the rightful exercise of their rights manifesting in normal general leave of absence and will ensure that no unfair disadvantages occur."
The Yonsei University Medical School Emergency Response Committee declared, "Cancel the repeated unfair orders that have persisted for over a year," stating that "They still do not realize that they cannot break the will of young people who are determined to uphold what they believe is right."