Will South Korea's political turbulence stop Yoon’s policy to increase medical students?

The abortive attempt to impose emergency martial law has led the opposition to move to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The medical community pays keen attention to the rapidly changing political situation, not least because the president's possible impeachment would affect the government’s healthcare policy.

Opinions with the medical community are split into two. Some doctors say that Yoon's impeachment could halt his policy to increase the medical school enrollment quota, but most others said it would proceed as scheduled because not many politicians will prioritize the issue.

On Wednesday, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said it would impeach President Yoon, Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, and Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, saying, “We will condemn the unconstitutional and illegal emergency martial law of the Yoon Suk Yeol regime as a crime of rebellion.”

The DPK proposed an impeachment bill against President Yoon and reported it to the National Assembly plenary session on Thursday. All 191 lawmakers from the six opposition parties, aside from the ruling People Power Party (PPP), participated in the proposal. According to the National Assembly Act, impeachment bills must be voted on 24 to 72 hours after being reported to the Assembly.

As early as Friday, the opposition plans to bring the impeachment bill to the plenary session.

Kim Sung-geun, spokesperson for the Medical Professors Association of Korea (MPAK), told the Yonhap News Agency that it is unlikely that the issue of medical school enrollment increase for the class of 2025 will become an issue because it will take time for the Assembly to impeachment President Yoon.

Kim feared a “worst-case scenario” in which the 2026 medical school enrollment could not even be discussed.

“If the government shutdown continues and the next presidential election is held, it will not be until April or May of next year,” Kim said. “If that happens, the 2026 medical school admission will not be discussed. We have no choice but to watch the unstable situation.”

Kim emphasized that Yoon's stepping down would minimize the disruption. “At this point, the president’s resignation is the best way to save time,” Kim said. “If the national crisis continues, healthcare issues, including the expansion of medical students, will become a minority issue, taking time to get on the list of agenda items.”

Choi Chang-min, head of the MPAK Emergency Committee, also said it would be difficult to expect the presidential impeachment to resolve the medical school enrollment increase issue.

“Even if impeachment is pushed through, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will run the state administration instead, which will change nothing,” Choi said. “If the government drops its will to increase medical students, there will be no difference.”

Under the current national situation, the issue of expanding medical schools will be far from a priority. The CSAT results are about to be announced soon. We have no time,” Choi pointed out. “We need time to resolve the issue of medical school expansion. However, it will be difficult if the opposition parties don't decide to tackle the medical student increase issue for the 2025 academic year.”

Kang Hee-kyung, who heads the emergency committee of Seoul National University College of Medicine, also predicted that impeaching Yoon will not solve the medical school enrollment quota issue.

“I don't think that if the president is impeached, the medical scene will go back to February (before the medical student increase was announced), and medical students and trainee doctors will return,” Kang said. “There should be a guarantee that this will not happen again. This is not just a problem of one administration.”

“The special committee on healthcare reform, which has lost its direction and is running wild, should be stopped immediately,” Kang said, adding that the medical community should also proactively suggest ways to improve healthcare policy (after the president’s impeachment).

She also suggested that universities reduce the number of medical students enrolled in 2025. “University presidents should immediately change the current 2025 medical school recruitment announcements,” Kang said. “The third and fourth year of medical school classes will begin mid-to-late January. Universities must move quickly.”

On the other hand, some pointed out that the president's impeachment could be an opportunity to stop the medical student increase policy.

“If President Yoon is impeached, the blind-minded officials who supported his policy will disappear. Can the policy go on under such circumstances?” said Bae Jang-whan, director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at Good Samsun Hospital, pointing out that the expansion of medical school enrollment quota is a policy that President Yoon adhered to.

“If President Yoon had not been anxious, the martial law decree would not have mentioned trainee doctors and specialists or doctors. It's an admission of policy failure,” Bae said, adding that if the president is impeached, the policy to increase medical students will lose momentum.