Medical education in South Korea is under an all-time crisis because many medical schools throughout the country affirm that hundreds of students will have to take courses again so they can carry on their study. The Education Ministry has specifically stated that the students who lost the April 30 deadline would be subject to academic retention or expulsion with no chance for redemption.
By Wednesday, all medical schools are required to submit detailed reports to the Education Ministry on the number of students being retained or expelled, dates of academic review meetings, and their plans for the next academic year. This comes after a long standoff over the government's now-frozen proposal to increase medical school enrollment, which most students protested by boycotting classes.
As of late April, 26 percent of medical students had yet to return to class. Five schools have already sent expulsion warnings to a combined 1,916 students who lost more than a month of classes, including Soonchunhyang University (606), Eulji University (299), Inje University (557), CHA University's graduate medical school program (190), and Konyang University (264). Officials caution that academic retention might affect as many as 70 percent of students.
Education Minister and interim President Lee Ju-ho issued a strong warning to students on Monday, saying, "Universities should make their retention and expulsion decisions by May 7 and act according to principle. Once approved, they will not be overturned or canceled." The announcement was made during speculation among students that the universities would not implement large-scale retentions or that they could be reinstated in the future through policy adjustments. "There will be no additional academic flexibility," Lee added. "Students still on the fence need not bet their futures on unfounded rumors."
Since medical schools follow an annual academic calendar, students who are retained will only be able to return in 2026. What this does is have first-year students from the 2024, 2025, and 2026 academic years taking first-year courses at the same time. While the government wanted to prevent such a situation, termed "tripling," it is now gearing up to deal with it.
Some universities, such as Dong-A University and Jeonbuk National University, have already amended their academic regulations to give course registration priority to incoming freshmen. The government is also mulling relaxing regulations to enable more transfer students to take up vacancies left by expelled students, but officials have emphasized that replacements will only be made within confirmed vacancies, not to fill places lost by those who lost their spots.
Adding to the pressure, the Korean National Police Agency has issued a zero-tolerance policy against individuals or groups hindering students from going back to class. "We strongly warn against organized actions that interfere with students' right to study," the agency said, vowing strict legal action. Police are now investigating ten cases of coercion or online bullying directed against students who resumed attending classes, two of whom have already been forwarded to prosecutors and five of whom are currently being pursued.
The authorities are mainly concerned about moves like circulating returnee lists, pressurizing classmates to follow the boycott, or collective denials of going back. Some student councils, the police observed, even held illegal gatherings in an effort to dissuade classmates from attending classes again and wrote declarations of intent to stay away from class. "We will prosecute the perpetrators of these illegal actions and issue warrants if needed," the agency stated.
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