US EditionSouth Korea will boost medical school admissions to tackle physician shortage
South Korea will increase medical school admissions by 3,340 seats over five years to ease doctor shortages, with all new students required to serve in underserved regions.
- On Feb 10, the government announced plans to increase medical school admissions, raising the annual cap from 3,058 to 3,548 in 2027, with further hikes planned through 2031.
- Months after officials defused a prolonged doctors' strike, South Korea faced intensifying demographic pressures and became a 'super-aged' society in 2025, driving the reset.
- Health Minister Jeong Eun Kyeong said all extra places will go to regional physician programs, with an average increase of 668 students per year and quotas finalized in April.
- Doctors' groups warned and threatened renewed walkouts ahead of Tuesday's announcement, while Kwak Soon-hun said the Korean Medical Association president boycotted the vote after leaving early.
- Policymakers argue the expansion is needed to staff regional hospitals, while doctors' groups warn enrolment alone won't fix structural issues, as President Lee Jae Myung's government restored the annual cap to 3,058 for 2026.
20 Articles
20 Articles
The South Korean government has revived a plan to increase the number of medical students, despite the measure previously sparking months of protests by many doctors that disrupted their work.
Gov't hikes med school admission quota at 668 per year, ties new doctors to provinces for up to 10 years
The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Tuesday announced medical school admissions quotas for 2027 through 2031, raising them by an average of 668 seats per year. The 2027 quota was set at 3,548, up 490 seats, and will increase by 613 in 2028 and 2029, and by 813 in 2030 and 2031, for a total five-year increase of 3,342. The increased number of students will be obliged to work under the regional doctor system, which would place doctors in designa…
South Korea will boost medical school admissions to tackle physician shortage
SEOUL, Feb 10: South Korea plans to increase medical school admissions by more than 3,340 students from 2027 to 2031 to address concerns about physician shortages in one of the fastest-ageing countries in the world, the government said on Tuesday. The plan was announced months after officials defused a prolonged doctors’ strike by backing away from a more ambitious increase pursued by Seoul’s former conservative government. The discussions about…
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