South Korea medical students end 17-month boycott of classes

Thousands of South Korean medical students are set to return to classes after a 17-month long boycott, the Korean Medical Association has announced.

Students and trainee doctors walked out to oppose government plans to increase medical school admissions, arguing it would lower the quality of the education they received.

No timeline for their return has been provided by the association, but the group has urged the government to restore the academic calendar and improve training conditions.

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

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

The Korean Medical Association said “we will place our trust in the government and parliament and commit to returning to school to help normalize medical education and the healthcare system,” in a reported statement issued jointly with the parliament’s education committee and other lobby groups.

The government wanted to increase the annual admittance of medical students to universities from around 3,000 to roughly 5,000, saying more staff were needed to meet demand.

It went back on its plan in March 2025.

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

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

Yonhap News Agency reported that 8,305 students will be subject to grade retention, requiring them to repeat the same academic year, according to the education ministry.