Overview

• The South Korean government has frozen the 2026 medical school enrollment quota at 3,058 students, reversing its earlier plan to expand admissions by 2,000 seats.
• This decision follows over a year of protests by medical students and trainee doctors, who opposed the expansion citing concerns over educational quality and systemic strain.
• Student boycotts continue, with class attendance reported at below 30%, as protestors demand further government action and assurances.
• Universities are preparing strict academic sanctions, including probation and failure notices, for students who persist in missing classes.
• The rollback aims to prevent a 'medical school tripling' crisis, where multiple cohorts would overlap, straining South Korea's medical education infrastructure.