'Why do they hate us?’: Parents, students rally against government's medical student quota expansion

“I remained calm, as I was afraid of the harm I could do to my child who cried out, ‘Why do they hate us?’ Now, however, I will never stop fighting for my child to get a proper medical education for the future of this country.”

A parent—whose child has been out of medical school for seven months in protest of the government's policy to expand the medical school enrollment quota—said so at a rally in downtown Seoul on Thursday. Parents, medical students, and their sympathizers took to the streets to demand that the government rescind its policy to increase medical students by 2,000 for 2025 and normalize medical education.

The GyeongGi-Do Medical Association and the National Association of Medical Students’ Parents organized the rally to call for normalizing medical education. More than 5,000 (as estimated by organizers) medical students, parents, doctors, and professors from across the country gathered at the rally, chanting slogans such as “Wake up the Education Ministry that reinforces poor education,” “Medical students are also citizens, protect young talents,” and “We reject unprepared medical education classes and practices.”

“I have lost the will to study medicine in this country,” said Park Wan-kyu, a fourth-year medical student at Dong-A University College of Medicine, emphasizing that they must win the struggle to normalize the medical system.

“Students spend 10 years of their lives, including six years of medical school, one year of internship, and three to four years of residency, enduring ridiculous study and workload, but we know from the ongoing turmoil that the only thing that comes back to us is the government's unreasonable policies, demonization of doctors, and 'splitting' the medical community for political gains,” Park said.

Park continued, “The government is telling medical students they will be promoted if they return by next February while asking professors to submit curricula utilizing nights and weekends. Is this the government's advanced medical education?” he said. “Simultaneously, the government is shamelessly lying to the public that the healthcare reform will advance Korean healthcare.”

“How can I study with enthusiasm for medicine,” he said. “If we don't normalize the medical system this time, Korea's advanced medical care will fall into the abyss. We must win. Whether it takes one year or two years, we will fight to the end for the people's right to health,” he said.

A resigned trainee doctor said, “I thought doctors were third-class citizens in this country,” demanding a sincere apology from the government.

“I was very scared. I resigned because I felt it was not an environment where I could focus on my training and develop my skills. I thought my life as a doctor would be meaningless unless this situation changed,” said Hahm Hee-jeong, who resigned from the Department of Diagnostic Laboratory Medicine at Kyung Hee University Hospital.

Hahm continued, “After resigning, I felt depressed after seeing various unimaginable orders, threats, and repression by the authorities. A vice minister of health and welfare even made demeaning remarks about female doctors. I still want to be a good doctor in my specialty and live happily. Still, it is difficult unless the government apologizes sincerely and turns doctors’ demands into laws.”

She urged the government to accept the demands of the Korean Medical Association, the Korean Intern Resident Association, and the Korean Medical Student Association.

Parents of medical students also criticized the government, saying it should uphold the Korean Institute of Medical Educational and Evaluation (KIMEE), which evaluates medical schools with expanded admission quotas.

“The Ministry of Education said it would hire professors for national university medical colleges from August, but no relevant data exists. Minister of Education Lee Joo-ho should face reality and immediately stop the political education policy under the guise of improving medical education,” a parent said.

“We can no longer tolerate the education ministry's interference in neutralizing the KIMEE. We have organized a signature campaign to condemn the ministry and will submit it to the parliamentary hearing on the expansion of medical schools on Friday,” the parent said. She also asked KIMEE President Ahn Duck-sun to “never back down.” She said, “The people will protect the KIMEE, so please block the increase in medical school students for the 2025 academic year.”

Medical professors warned that medical education will collapse if the number of medical school students is increased.

“If the number of medical students increases as planned by the government, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine and Chungbuk National University Hospital will have 400 medical students practicing at the 800-bed hospital. Will they be able to conduct proper practice?” said Professor Chae Hee-bok, head of the emergency committee of the college and hospital. “Basic medical theory can't replace practice. If one is lacking, it will be crippled education.”

Professor Sohn Hyeon-jun of the same college said, “President Yoon Suk Yeol will leave office in May 2027, and by then, the medical students recruited now will be receiving anatomy education. I don't want to imagine it, as it will be a mess.”

Professor Sohn continued, “The government wants to add 1,000 professors to medical schools, but it's impossible. There are not enough teaching assistants. Even if they train now, will they be able to keep their jobs in five years when the number of students is reduced? The government is destroying Korean healthcare, with elementary school students thinking that it can just throw money at it. It's time for the people to speak up. Stop the medical collapse.”

After the rally, the participants marched around Jongno with pickets, chanting slogans to reconsider increasing the number of medical school students.