Latest news with #KimMinSeok
Malay Mail
14-07-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Thousands of South Korean medical students to return to class after 17-month boycott
SEOUL, July 14 — Thousands of South Korean medical students are set to return to classrooms after a 17-month boycott, an industry body told AFP Monday, ending part of a standoff which also saw junior doctors strike. South Korean healthcare was plunged into chaos early last year when then-president Yoon Suk Yeol moved to sharply increase medical school admissions, citing an urgent need to boost doctor numbers to meet growing demand in a rapidly aging society. The initiative met fierce protest, prompting junior doctors to walk away from hospitals and medical students to boycott their classrooms, with operations cancelled and service provision disrupted nationwide. The measure was later watered down, and the government eventually offered to scrap it in March 2025, after Yoon was impeached over his disastrous declaration of martial law. 'Students have agreed to return to school,' a spokesperson for the Korean Medical Association told AFP Monday, adding that it was up to each medical school to decide the schedule for student returns. The Korean Medical Students' Association said in an earlier statement that the students had reached this decision because a continued boycott 'could cause the collapse of the fundamentals of medical systems'. Some 8,300 students are expected to return to school, but no specific timeline has been provided. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok welcomed the decision, calling it a 'big step forward' in a Facebook post Sunday, adding President Lee Jae Myung was deliberating ways to solve the issue. In addition to the student boycott, some 12,000 junior doctors went on strike last year—with the vast majority of them still declining to return to work. Lee — who took office in June after winning snap elections following Yoon's removal from office — had said on the campaign trail he would seek to resolve the medical strike. The increase in medical school admissions led to a record number of students re-taking the college entrance exam in November in a bid to capitalise on reforms that made it easier to get into coveted majors. — AFP
Arab News
14-07-2025
- Health
- Arab News
South Korea medical students end 17-month class boycott
SEOUL: Thousands of South Korean medical students are set to return to classrooms after a 17-month boycott, an industry body said Monday, ending part of a standoff which also saw junior doctors strike. South Korean health care was plunged into chaos early last year when then-president Yoon Suk Yeol moved to sharply increase medical school admissions, citing an urgent need to boost doctor numbers to meet growing demand in a rapidly aging society. The initiative met fierce protest, prompting junior doctors to walk away from hospitals and medical students to boycott their classrooms, with operations canceled and service provision disrupted nationwide. The measure was later watered down, and the government eventually offered to scrap it in March 2025, after Yoon was impeached over his disastrous declaration of martial law. 'Students have agreed to return to school,' a spokesperson for the Korean Medical Association said Monday, adding that it was up to each medical school to decide the schedule for student returns. The Korean Medical Students' Association said in an earlier statement that the students had reached this decision because a continued boycott 'could cause the collapse of the fundamentals of medical systems.' Some 8,300 students are expected to return to school, but no specific timeline has been provided. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok welcomed the decision, calling it a 'big step forward' in a Facebook post Sunday, adding President Lee Jae Myung was deliberating ways to solve the issue. In addition to the student boycott, some 12,000 junior doctors went on strike last year – with the vast majority of them still declining to return to work. Lee – who took office in June after winning snap elections following Yoon's removal from office – had said on the campaign trail he would seek to resolve the medical strike. The increase in medical school admissions led to a record number of students re-taking the college entrance exam in November in a bid to capitalize on reforms that made it easier to get into coveted majors.
CNA
14-07-2025
- Health
- CNA
South Korea medical students end 17-month class boycott
SEOUL: Thousands of South Korean medical students are set to return to classrooms after a 17-month boycott, an industry body told AFP on Monday (Jul 14), ending part of a standoff which also saw junior doctors strike. South Korean healthcare was plunged into chaos early last year when then-president Yoon Suk Yeol moved to sharply increase medical school admissions, citing an urgent need to boost doctor numbers to meet growing demand in a rapidly aging society. The initiative met fierce protest, prompting junior doctors to walk away from hospitals and medical students to boycott their classrooms, with operations cancelled and service provision disrupted nationwide. The measure was later watered down, and the government eventually offered to scrap it in March 2025, after Yoon was impeached over his disastrous declaration of martial law. "Students have agreed to return to school," a spokesperson for the Korean Medical Association told AFP Monday, adding that it was up to each medical school to decide the schedule for student returns. The Korean Medical Students' Association said in an earlier statement that the students had reached this decision because a continued boycott "could cause the collapse of the fundamentals of medical systems". Some 8,300 students are expected to return to school, but no specific timeline has been provided. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok welcomed the decision, calling it a "big step forward" in a Facebook post Sunday, adding President Lee Jae Myung was deliberating ways to solve the issue. In addition to the student boycott, some 12,000 junior doctors went on strike last year - with the vast majority of them still declining to return to work. Lee - who took office in June after winning snap elections following Yoon's removal from office - had said on the campaign trail he would seek to resolve the medical strike. The increase in medical school admissions led to a record number of students re-taking the college entrance exam in November in a bid to capitalise on reforms that made it easier to get into coveted majors.
BBC News
13-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
South Korea medical students end 17-month boycott of classes
Thousands of South Korean medical students are set to return to classes after a 17-month long boycott, the Korean Medical Association has announced. Trainee doctors walked out to oppose government plans to increase medical school admissions, arguing it would lower the quality of the education they timeline for their return has been provided by the association, but the group has urged the government to restore the academic calendar and improve training Minister Kim Min-Seok welcomed the end of the boycott, describing it as a "big step forward". "It's time to take a deeper look at the medical field, the Congress, and the government, so that citizens can help solve problems," he wrote in a statement on Facebook. The Korean Medical Association said "we will place our trust in the government and parliament and commit to returning to school to help normalize medical education and the healthcare system," in a reported statement issued jointly with the parliament's education committee and other lobby government wanted to increase the annual admittance of medical students to universities from around 3,000 to roughly 5,000, saying more staff were needed to meet demand. It went back on its plan in March News Agency reported that 8,305 students will be subject to grade retention, requiring them to repeat the same academic year, according to the education ministry.
Bloomberg
17-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
South Korea's Lee Wants Trade Deal with US Before July Deadline
South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung hopes to clinch a trade agreement with the US ahead of a looming July deadline, according to his nominee for prime minister, after a high-stakes meeting with Donald Trump was called off at the last minute. 'I believe that President Trump would naturally expect a deal to be reached within the scheduled deadline, and my understanding is that President Lee Jae-myung would also like to see a good agreement reached within that time frame if possible,' Kim Min-seok told reporters in Seoul on Tuesday.
