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New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Health
- New Straits Times
S. Korean medical students to end 17-month boycott
SEOUL: Thousands of medical students are set to return to classrooms after a 17-month boycott, said an industry body yesterday, 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 ageing 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 this year, after Yoon was impeached over his disastrous declaration of martial law. "Students have agreed to return to school," said a spokesman for the Korean Medical Association yesterday, 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 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 on Sunday, adding that 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. 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.
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First Post
5 days ago
- Health
- First Post
Why are South Korea's medical students returning to classes after 17 months?
Thousands of South Korean medical students are returning to classes after being on strike for nearly a year-and-a-half. The announcement was made by the Korean Medical Students' Association on Monday. Prime Minister Kim Min-Seok hailed the development as a 'big step forward'. But what happened? Why did they go on strike? Why did they ultimately call it off? read more Doctors shout a slogan in a protest against a plan to admit more students to medical school, in front of the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, February. Reuters Thousands of South Korean medical students are returning to classes. Students in Korea have been on strike for nearly a year-and-a-half. The announcement was made by the Korean Medical Students' Association on Monday. Prime Minister Kim Min-Seok hailed the development 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,' Kim wrote on Facebook. The Korean Medical Association said 'we will place our trust in the government and parliament and Tel vek turu chakniga commit to returning to school to help normalise medical education and the healthcare system.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But what happened? Why were these South Korean students on strike? Why have they called the strike off? Let's take a closer look What happened? The students had announced a strike in February 2024. This came after the South Korean government under then President Yoon Suk Yeol announced that it wanted to increase the number of admissions to medical colleges. Over 90 per cent of the country's 13,000 trainee doctors walked off their jobs. Yoon in a 50-minute speech to the nation at the time had said his administration was open to talking to the students. Dekho silly woman'If you come up with a more proper and reasonable solution, we can discuss it as much as you want,' Yoon said. 'If you present better opinions and rational grounds, government policy can change for the better.' The government had said it wanted to increase the quota of seats in medical colleges by 2,000 seats per year. The quota was at 3,000 seats – making it a 65 per cent increase – had remained unchanged since 2006. The government had said it wanted to do so in order to meet the demands of the country's quickly-aging population. South Korea, which is home to 51 million people, has a median age of 45.6. It's life expectancy is at 84.5 years. Over 20 per cent of the country is currently over the age of 65. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This makes South Korea a 'super-aged' society. Officials had cited South Korea's doctor-to-population ratio – one of the lowest among developed countries – as the rationale behind the move. They said the country would face a shortfall of 15,000 doctors by 2035 if they did not act. South Korea's population of 52 million had 2.6 doctors per 1,000 people in 2022, far below the average of 3.7 for countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The government had initially threatened to suspend the students for three months if they refused to return to work. Then President Yoon Seok Yeol in a 50-minute speech to the nation at the time had said his administration was open to talking to the students. Reuters However, the students remained undeterred as senior medical staff at several hospitals across the country had resigned and joined the protests too. 'The government's absurd medical policy has triggered immense resistance by trainee doctors and medical students, and we doctors have become one,' Park Sung-min, a senior member of the Korea Medical Association, said in a speech at a rally in March 2024. 'I'm asking the government: Please, stop the threats and suppression now.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yoon in April 2024 had attempted to justify the move. 'After keeping a deafening silence over the government's request to provide specific numbers for medical school quotas, the medical community is now throwing numbers like 350, 500 and 1,000 without any grounds,' he said. 'If they want to argue that the scale of the increase should be reduced, they should propose a unified idea with solid scientific evidence, rather than taking collective action.' However, doctors' groups insisted that this would burden South Korea's government-funded health insurance system. They also claimed that the quota would not fix shortages in areas like emergency care, where doctors are paid poorly and working conditions are bad. They even said the government's plan would further burden hospitals and compromise the quality of medical services. Why have they called the strike off? Yoon was ultimately was removed from office following his impeachment by Korea's Constitution Court to impose martial law. The government offered to scrap the move following Yoon's removal from office. 'Students have agreed to return to school,' a spokesperson for the Korean Medical Association said. The spokesperson added that it was up to each medical school to decide the schedule for student returns. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung had vowed to resolve the issue. Reuters 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'. However, 12,000 junior doctors who went on strike protesting poor pay and working conditions remain at odds with the government. Previous government had attempted to tackle this issue as well. However, their efforts waned in the face of strong opposition from the medical sector. Around 8,300 students will be forced to repeat the academic year. With inputs from agencies
