Gov’t to gradually raise medical school quota by 668 annually until 2031 (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Health Ministry on Tuesday outlined a plan to steadily expand medical school admissions through 2031, signaling a more measured approach to boosting the country’s physician workforce after years of political conflict and doctor protests.
Under the proposal, the national medical school quota will rise by an average of 668 students a year, reaching 3,548 in 2027 and 3,671 in 2028 and 2029, up from 3,058 in 2026. By 2030 and 2031, with the addition of two new institutions — a public medical school and a regional medical school, each enrolling 100 students annually — the total quota would increase to 3,871.
The expansion will focus on regional doctor tracks at 32 medical schools outside Seoul, a move aimed at addressing chronic shortages in provincial areas. Collectively, those schools will add 490 seats in 2027, 613 seats in 2028 and 2029, and 813 seats in 2030 and 2031.
The phased approach contrasts with the abrupt expansion pursued by the previous administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol, which sought to raise the quota by 2,000 students in a single year. That plan pushed the 2025 target to 5,058 seats, though adjustments by universities eventually brought total admissions to 4,567.
The sharp increase sparked a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors and deepened tensions between the government and the medical community, with critics warning that a rapid surge in enrollment could strain training quality and hospital systems.
Medical school quotas in South Korea have fluctuated over the decades. Admissions stood at just over 1,000 in the 1950s and climbed to a peak of 3,507 in 1998. In 2006, amid policy reforms separating drug prescribing and dispensing, the quota was cut to 3,058, where it remained until 2024.
The current government’s plan reflects an effort to balance two competing pressures: a rapidly aging population that demands more doctors, and a medical establishment wary of sudden structural change. By stretching the expansion over several years and concentrating growth outside the capital, officials appear to be seeking a compromise between reform and stability.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
