"National penguin" Pororo bowed in a black suit over the controversy about entering medical school, drawing attention.
Recently, an apology video from Pororo was posted on the official Pororo and Friends social media account with the caption "Sorry for being sorry." In the video, Pororo began the apology by saying, "I'm sorry for being too cute. I'm sorry for having fun playing by myself every day."
It continued, "People are whispering, 'You said playing is the best and then you went to medical school…,' and I am truly sorry for unintentionally upsetting many of you." Pororo also said, "I will become a Pororo who lives up to your expectations," reiterating the apology.
The controversy traces back to the so-called "medical school meme," which began in 2021 when an internet user misread "Pororo's Great Adventure" as "Pororo's Medical School Adventure" and asked for a thumbnail fix. Users, watching Pororo skillfully treat Crong and Petty in a children's song video, expressed cheerful feelings of betrayal, saying, "Pororo, who said playing is the best, secretly studied and went to medical school," and "I was the only one who truly just played."
This meme has recently taken on a peculiar satire in step with Korea's intense "medical school frenzy." According to Jongno Academy, in the 2026 academic year college admissions early decision round, nearly half of the natural sciences admits at Yonsei University and Korea University declined to enroll, which is seen as a choice to pursue medical school.
The number of students giving up enrollment has hit its highest level in five years, and the "hollowing-out of top-tier universities" is intensifying as most natural sciences dropouts at Seoul National University, Yonsei University and Korea University are withdrawing to enter medical school. Among this year's CSAT registrants, graduates account for about 30%, marking a 21-year record high.
Recently, an "elementary medical school track" has even emerged, centered on the Gangnam private education district, that teaches calculus to fourth graders and compresses seven years of curriculum into six months, drawing a special inspection by the Ministry of Education.