Medicine Students in South Korea complete a 17-month boycott of hours

Thousands of medicine students in South Korea are ready to return to the hours after a 17-month boycott, the Korean Medical Association announced.

Students and doctors of trainees I went out to oppose government plans to increase medical admission, claiming that this would reduce the quality of the education.

No time was provided for a time for their return, but the group urged the government to restore the academic calendar and improve the conditions for training.

Prime Minister Kim Min-Seok welcomed the end of the boycott, describing it as a “big step forward”.

“It’s time to look at the medical field, congress and the government more deeply so that citizens can help solve problems,” he wrote in a statement on Facebook.

The Korean Medical Association stated that “we will trust the government and parliament and commit ourselves to return to school to help normalize medical education and the healthcare system” in a reported statement issued jointly with the Education Committee of Parliament and other lobbying groups.

The government wanted to increase the annual admission of medical students at universities from about 3000 to approximately 5,000, saying more employees were needed to respond to demand.

He returned to his plan in March 2025.

While students plan to return, junior doctors remain on strike as they also protest against working conditions.

This caused a break for patients as some surgeries were delayed and patients turned away last year.

Yonhap news agency announced that 8,305 students will be subject to grades, which requires them to repeat the same school year, according to the Ministry of Education.