The Korean Medical Association announced that thousands of Korean medical students will return to the course after 17 months of boycott.
Craftsmen doctors went out to oppose government plans to increase medical school admissions programs, believing that this would reduce the quality of education they receive.
The association did not provide any timeline for returns, but the organization has urged the government to restore the academic calendar and improve the conditions for training.
Prime Minister Kim Min-Seok welcomed the end of the boycott, describing it as a “big step forward”.
“It’s time to get a deeper look at the healthcare field, Congress and the government so that citizens can help solve the problem,” he wrote in a statement on Facebook.
“We will build trust in the government and parliament and commit to returning to school to help normalize the medical education and health care system,” the Korean Medical Association said in a report statement co-published with the Parliamentary Education Commission and other hall groups.
The government hopes to increase the annual enrollment rate for medical students from about 3,000 to about 5,000, and says more staff are needed to meet the demand.
It returns to the March 2025 plan.
According to the Ministry of Education, Yonhap News Agency reported that 8,305 students will be retained by grades and asked them to repeat the same school year.
