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Seoul, July 13, 2025 – Thousands of South Korean medical students will return to classes, ending a 17-month boycott prompted by government plans to increase medical school admissions, the Korean Medical Association announced.The boycott began in protest of a proposal to raise annual medical student admissions from 3,000 to 5,000, which students argued would compromise educational quality. The government scrapped the plan in March 2025. The association, in a joint statement with the parliament’s education committee, urged the government to normalize the academic calendar and improve training conditions, expressing trust in ongoing reforms. Prime Minister Kim Min-Seok hailed the decision as a “big step forward,” calling for collaboration to address healthcare challenges. No specific timeline for the students’ return was provided. However, Yonhap News Agency reported that 8,305 students face grade retention, requiring them to repeat an academic year. While students plan to resume classes, junior doctors continue their strike over working conditions, causing ongoing disruptions, including delayed surgeries and patient turnaways last year.
