Lee Joo-ho, the Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, noted on the 22nd that "a committee for the advancement of medical education will be formed and operated to collect opinions."
The Deputy Prime Minister agreed with the point made at an evening meeting in Gangnam, Seoul, hosted by the Korea Medical Policy School, that the fundamental cause of the current situation (conflict with the medical community) is not so much due to individual policies, but rather a long-standing distrust between the government and the medical community.
The meeting also included the Deputy Prime Minister and medical students. This was the first time the Deputy Prime Minister officially met with medical students since the government's expansion of medical school quotas last year.
The Deputy Prime Minister said, "I wanted to meet the students directly, and although it feels somewhat late, I think it is very meaningful to meet like this."
He added, "Among the conflicts arising during the process of promoting this medical reform, the part the government struggled with the most was the restoration of trust between the government and the medical community," and said he hopes this occasion will serve as an opportunity for rebuilding trust among students, the Ministry of Education, and the medical community.
The Deputy Prime Minister also mentioned, "I heard from student representatives and professors of medical schools that the greatest concern among you students is whether education for the class of 2024 and 2025 will be properly conducted," and stated, "The government and universities have been working with the Korea Association of Medical Colleges (KAMC) to explore ways to ensure that education can be conducted in the direction desired by students while maintaining the quality of medical education."
He also stated, "We have already prepared various models for separating the education of the classes of 2024 and 2025, allowing the class of 2024 to graduate first, and each school will choose one of the several models based on students' opinions and educational conditions to implement in the actual educational setting."