The government changed its guidelines on April 19 to allow 32 universities to autonomously recruit new students for the class of 2025 within 50 to 100 percent of their capacity. It also announced the creation of a special committee for healthcare reform, a social dialogue body directly under the president. The move marks a turning point in a two-month-long standoff between the government and the medical circles. The medical community, however, refused to participate in the special committee, insisting on "re-discussion after going back to square one.” It is regrettable to see the excessive selfishness of doctors in opposing the increase of medical school admissions that the majority of Koreans want.

Under the government's self-adjustment measures for medical schools, the number of medical school admissions could be reduced to up to 1,000 seats next year. The government's adherence to an increase of 2,000 seats after the college entrance exam in 2026 became a new issue, but it has earned time to discuss the size of the reasonable increase and the roadmap.

However, the medical community even blocked the start of the conversation. The Association of Korean Universities and Graduate Schools of Medicine said on April 21, "The government should freeze the number of medical school admissions for the 2025 school year and decide on future manpower supply and demand at a consultative body with the medical community." This means abandoning the increase of medical school seats next year and negotiating from the beginning. Earlier, the vice president of the Korean Medical Association also said that it was "not a fundamental solution," and the group of trainee doctors confronted it by saying they would file an administrative lawsuit.

The medical community's call for the “re-discussion after going back to square one” is self-righteous. In 2020, they also defeated the government's plan to increase the medical school admissions by insisting on a “re-discussion from the beginning.” The issue of medical school seats is on the agenda of social dialogue between patients, civil society organizations, education, and industry, but the medical circles is only demanding a one-on-one dialogue with the government. As the ruling party's defeat in the general election was wrongly attributed to the “policy related to the expansion of medical school seats and essential medical care,” it can only be seen as a tactic to further pressure the government.

The medical community should not be misled. Citizens and public opinion overwhelmingly support the expansion of medical school seats. However, there are many who disagree with the government's obsession with 2,000 seats, its refusal to communicate with doctors, and its hardline confrontation in the face of medical chaos. The medical community is on high alert, and April 25 is the deadline for medical professors to submit their resignations. If the medical community does not change its stance, the healthcare system is headed for catastrophe. The government should forget about the number of "2,000" and come up with an effective scale of increase and roadmap for the expansion in the next consultation with doctors. The medical circles should realize that the public's patience is running out and return to the dialogue and hospitals as soon as possible with the premise of increasing medical school admissions.