South Korean government decides to allow students to take leave, but medical students still demand cancellation of enrollment increase

The South Korean government has announced a policy to allow medical students to take time off on the condition that they return to the country next year, but medical students have responded coldly, saying that this is "not a fundamental solution" and that nothing will change.
They are demanding the scrapping of the medical school recruitment plan and an investigation into the promotion of medical policies. This means that if their previous demands, such as the scrapping of the medical school recruitment plan, are not accepted, they will not be able to return next year.
On the 6th, the Ministry of Education announced the "Emergency Measures to Normalize Medical Bachelor's Degree Program," and announced that it would approve the leave of absence of students who applied for leave this year on the condition that they return in the 2025 academic year.
However, medical students who do not return next year will be held back or expelled. When Seoul National University's medical school unexpectedly approved a group of students taking a leave of absence on the 30th of last month, other universities
It appears that the government allowed limited leave of absence to prevent the repercussions from spreading to the medical school of the university. However, medical students responded skeptically. A, a medical student, said, "The government's announcement today is a new
"It doesn't seem like an event. The fundamental solution is to accept the demands that the medical students have made to the government, and through this the students will be able to return. It's the same as before," he said.
Medical students from the Korean Medical University and Graduate School Student Association are calling for a complete scrapping of the essential medical package and the increase in medical school enrollment, an investigation and apology for the hasty implementation of medical policy,
They have been demanding the introduction of a medical malpractice system that takes into account the unique nature of medical procedures, and the withdrawal of the abuse of public power regarding students taking leave of absence.
"It seems that the current situation will not change. When I ask around, most people say that the current situation will be maintained," he said. If the government does not accept the proposals it made to the government, such as scrapping the plan to increase the number of medical students, the current situation will remain the same.
"Based on what I've heard from people around me, many people feel that the government's announcement today is a glorious attempt to restrict the rights of medical students," said B.
"There was a lot of disappointment and no support," the report said. Some medical students even commented that the government's demand for reinstatement, which includes new conditions, sounds like a new threat.
According to the Ministry of Education and the lawmaker's office, of the 19,374 students enrolled in 40 medical schools nationwide for the second semester of the 2024 academic year, only 2.8% (548 students) actually attended.
Most of them refuse to take classes.