After Yoon’s exit, doctors ask the top court to ‘halt’ medical school quota increase

The medical community's eyes are on the Supreme Court amid the political turmoil following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.

That’s because the top court’s decision concerning the “preliminary injunction lawsuit to suspend the effectiveness of the approval of the change in the university admissions plan is the only thing left.” Now that President Yoon has been suspended from office, the medical community believes that the fastest way to stop the increase in medical students is to grant a preliminary injunction.

In June, eight students, including examinees and first-year pre-med students, filed a preliminary injunction against the Korea Council for University Education to stop the increase in medical students. The lower and appellate courts rejected the request, and the case was appealed to the Supreme Court in August.

On Monday, the medical community issued statements calling for the Supreme Court to decide quickly. Starting with the Seoul Medical Association, eight medical associations in provinces and large cities made similar demands.

The Gyeongnam (South Gyeongsang) Medical Association called it “a very unusual situation procedurally,” pointing out that the Supreme Court has not decided on the request for a provisional injunction even though the first successful student for the 2025 college entrance examination has been announced.

“The president, who led the wrong medical policy, has been impeached, and it is possible to infer how the medical school expansion policy was promoted,” the association said. “The Supreme Court should quickly make a just and fair decision by the law.”

The Gyeongbuk (North Gyeongsang) Medical Association echoed, saying, “The starting point that plunged our country into chaos was the increase of medical students by 2,000, which has no scientific basis whatsoever. The emergency martial law ended with the impeachment, but the abnormal intent to punish doctors and the destruction of the medical system, which was strongly advocated by a mentally ill person and included in the martial law declaration, are still ongoing.”

The provincial medical association continued, “The Korean medical system, which has been destroyed by the delusions, prejudices, and arrogance of one abnormal person, and the lifeline of the Korean people, which has been put on the road to normalization, is now in the hands of the Supreme Court.”

The Jeonnam (South Jeolla) Medical Association noted that expanding medical schools was “like a military campaign” before a general election without public consultation. “The first and second court decisions are wrong. We appeal to the Supreme Court to quickly make a just and fair decision by the law,” it said.

Gwangju Medical Association said, “The most important preliminary issue is the immediate suspension of the 2025 medical school entrance examination without any measures. However, there is not much time left to reverse it, like a moment of martial law,” calling for the Supreme Court to make a swift and just decision.”

The Busan Medical Association said the Supreme Court should stop the Yoon administration's repeated behavior of pushing through medical manipulation while ignoring the opponents’ arguments and labeling the opposition as an anti-state force.

“We hope that the Supreme Court will look only at the people and make a swift ruling by the law to stop the Yoon government's medical manipulation and prevent medical bankruptcy and collapse.”

The Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also issued a statement on the same day and asked the Supreme Court to issue a preliminary injunction. It said that the medical school quota expansion policy lacks evidence, making normal education impossible, has procedural problems in decision-making and implementation, undermines the stability and fairness of the entrance examination, and infringes on medical students' right to learn.