After the government on the 10th confirmed and announced a plan to expand medical school enrollment starting in the 2027 academic year, the medical community mounted a fierce backlash. The Korean Medical Association Organization warned of a collapse in medical education, saying, "The government bears full responsibility for all the confusion," and within the medical community, debates over accountability and leadership surrounding the association leadership's response are flaring.
Korean Medical Association Organization President Kim Taek-woo held an emergency briefing at the association's Yongsan, Seoul, headquarters that day, saying, "Over the past two years, we entered talks to prevent turmoil in the medical field, but the government made a decision fixated only on numbers without reasonable review," and "The government bears full responsibility for the collapse of health care resulting from a unilateral push."
The Ministry of Health and Welfare earlier held the 7th Health Care Policy Deliberation Committee meeting and finalized the scale of physician training for the five years from 2027 to 2031. Under the finalized plan, the current medical school enrollment of 3,058 will be increased in stages by ▲490 in 2027 ▲613 each in 2028 and 2029 ▲813 each in 2030 and 2031, including a public medical school and newly established regional medical schools. A total of 3,342 more graduates will be produced over five years, with an average annual increase of 668.
The association argued above all that educational conditions have reached their limit. Kim said, "In the 2027 academic year, students on leave in 2025 and those returning from military service will come back at the same time, bringing a large influx at once," and "This is a shock equivalent to the large-scale increase in the 2025 academic year, which the current educational infrastructure cannot handle."
They also argued that the "10%" cap for increases proposed by the medical education evaluation institute was ignored. The association said, "The government must bear responsibility for the decline in the quality of medical personnel produced in poor environments and for the collapse of education."
Toward the Ministry of Education, it demanded a full survey of all medical schools nationwide and a recalculation of enrollment quotas. The association said, "The policy committee's decision is not the end but the starting point," and argued, "Depending on the survey results, the number of students who can receive normal education in 2027 could be far lower than the figures currently announced."
It also urged the formation of a practical medical education consultative body and an overhaul of the medical workforce projection system. Kim said, "A merely formal advisory group cannot prevent educational chaos," calling for a standing medical–government consultative body, and regarding the projection committee, said, "The composition of Commissioners must be completely revamped to fully reflect opinions from clinical settings, and the projection cycle should be shortened from the current five years to three."
It also demanded the immediate implementation of essential health care measures. The association proposed ▲appropriate compensation to address shunned specialties ▲legislation to exempt criminal liability for unavoidable medical accidents ▲revision of license revocation criteria ▲strengthened accreditation for graduates of overseas medical schools ▲measures to address workforce gaps caused by large-scale active-duty enlistment of medical students and physicians, saying, "Increasing enrollment without institutional improvements is deceiving the public."
However, it did not present a specific plan for collective action that day. Korean Medical Association Organization Spokesperson Kim Sung-geun said in a Q&A, "Rather than collective action, the priority is to gather members' opinions," and added, "We will announce additional response measures as early as tomorrow or around Thursday, when a regular briefing is scheduled."
Cracks are also appearing within the medical community after the enrollment increase was finalized. Immediately after the policy committee's decision, calls for Kim's resignation were publicly raised, and controversy over the Korean Medical Association Organization leadership's response to the government is spreading.
The Korean Hospital Doctors Association issued a statement saying, "We condemn the government's oppression that repeats the medical abuse of the previous administration," and argued, "The Korean Medical Association Organization leadership, which brought about catastrophic results through complacent handling, should step down." It added, "Members judge that, at the current level, the association's absence would be better for the medical community," and emphasized, "The association must undergo reforms tantamount to a complete overhaul."