People's Power: ”Next year's medical school quota of 3,058 students is realistically appropriate... The government should actively consider this” = South Korea

On the 6th, the People's Power Party (ruling party) stated its intention to accept the proposal to return the 2026 medical school admission quota to 3,058 students, stating that it "deems this to be realistic and appropriate."
Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People's Power Party, attended a closed-door party and government meeting held at 2 p.m. on the same day to discuss the medical school support plan.
After the meeting, he met with reporters at the National Assembly and said, "The People's Power Party believes that the normalization of education at medical schools is urgent, and we believe that the recommendations of the Council of Deans of Medical Schools are realistic and appropriate."
I hope that the medical community will actively consider the contents of this proposal and correct the medical school education system. The power of the people is the heart of all parents of students, and we hope that the normalization of medical schools will be accelerated and that students will be able to continue to study in the future.
"We will continue to proactively resolve the medical school recruitment issue so that students can focus on their studies and parents do not have to worry about their students," he said.
The Korean Association of Medical Schools and Graduate Schools (KAM), a group of medical school presidents from across the nation, and the Korean Council of Presidents for the Advancement of Medical Schools (KCMS), a group of 40 university presidents, are also involved.
The two sides previously agreed to reset the medical school quota for next year to 3,058 students, the same level as in 2024.
Senior government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho and Minister of Welfare and Social Affairs Cho Kyu-hong, and the People's Power Party held a closed-door party-government meeting that afternoon to further discussions.
Regarding the proposal submitted to Vice Premier Lee by the medical community and medical schools, Kwon said, "The proposal states that medical students should return to their universities and start accepting applications in 2026.
The number of personnel will be adjusted to 3,058, the same as in fiscal 2024, and from fiscal 2027, the number of personnel to be recruited will be decided based on the decision of the Medical Personnel Estimation Deliberation Committee under the Basic Act on Health Care."
Kwon said, "For now, the most urgent task is for students to return to their universities. The deans of the medical schools have said, 'If they adjust the number of students to 3,058, we will actively persuade students to return to their classes.'
"So I think it would be reasonable to first base the decision on the students, and then have the Additional Medical Personnel Review Committee decide on the number of staff from 2027 onwards," he said.
He continued, "Now is not the time to compete over the government's feelings or pride, but to somehow get the students back and normalize life as soon as possible, which is good for the students, their parents, and the medical school, and is also necessary for the students themselves.
"We will give in to our previous thinking and hand over the achievement to the medical students," he added.