South Korea revives plan to add medical students; doctors criticise bid

FILE PHOTO: A doctor holds a slogan in a protest against a plan to admit more students to medical school, in front of the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, February 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Soo-Hyeon/File Photo

SEOUL, Feb 10 (Reuters) - South ‌Korea plans to boost medical student numbers by ‌16% in 2027 and further in subsequent years, ‌the health ministry said on Tuesday, a step criticised by a doctors' association after similar plans triggered nationwide protests in 2024.

A healthcare ‍crisis was unleashed from February 2024 ‍to late 2025 after ‌walkouts by thousands of trainee doctors to protest similar, but ‍larger ​increases during the tenure of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol.