Medical Education amid Policy Conflict, 2024–2026

Scope of the literature

The literature comprises 15 articles, editorials, commentaries, and recommendations from an academic organization, published in six journals in 2024–2026. These publications documented government announcements on enrollment expansion and academic policies, as well as experiences and proposals from the medical community and universities.

Author (year)	Publication type and journal	Author role	Effects addressed
Park, H. W. (2024)	Commentary · Korean Medical Education Review	Professor at Dankook University College of Medicine; then president of the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences	Leaves of absence, resignations, enrollment expansion
Jeon (2024)	Commentary · Korean Medical Education Review	Professor of medical education and social psychiatrist at Yonsei University	Isolation, return to study, healing
An (2024)	Editorial · Korean Medical Education Review	Professor of medical education at Yonsei University and journal editor	Academic schedules, internship training
Kang, Y. (2024)	Student commentary · Korean Medical Education Review	Student at Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine	Educational schedules, facilities, accreditation
Kang, Y. S. (2024)	Commentary · Korean Medical Education Review	Dean of Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine	Educational operations and quality maintenance
Cho & Yune (2025)	Systematic review · Korean Medical Education Review	Student researcher and medical education researcher at Pusan National University	Academic disruption and psychological effects
Huh (2025)	Editorial · Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions	Professor of parasitology at Hallym University and editor-in-chief	Class participation, national medical licensing examination
Seong et al. (2026)	Cross-sectional survey · Journal of Korean Medical Science	Clinical faculty at Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital	Working hours, burnout, depression
Shin et al. (2026)	Mixed-methods study · Journal of Korean Medical Science	Office of Medical Education and faculty at Seoul National University	Research participation during leave and access to opportunities
Park, J., et al. (2025)	Cross-sectional analysis · Journal of Korean Medical Science	Researchers at Kangwon National University, Dong-A University, and Kosin University	Supply of and demand for basic medical science faculty
Kim, S., et al. (2025)	Cross-sectional survey · Journal of the Korean Medical Association	Medical education researchers at Korea University	Specialty preferences, professional identity
Lee (2026)	Opinion piece · Journal of the Korean Medical Association	Professor of pediatrics at Yeungnam University	Instructional hours, clinical clerkships, quality assurance
Kim, M. J., & Kim, C. J. (2025)	Commentary and proposal · Korean Journal of Medical Education	Professors of medical humanities and ethics at Hanyang University and Dong-A University	Faculty departures, faculty cohort
Kim, C., et al. (2025)	Cross-sectional survey · BMC Public Health	Clinicians and researchers affiliated with Chungbuk National University Hospital	Mental health of students on leave
National Academy of Medicine of Korea (2025)	Recommendations from an academic organization · Journal of the Korean Medical Association	National Academy of Medicine of Korea	Educator support, educational quality management

Students’ interrupted study and return

The commentary by Park, H. W. (2024), a professor at Dankook University College of Medicine and then president of the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences, reported that 13,698 of 18,793 medical students, or 72.8%, had applied for a leave of absence. The Minister of Education instructed universities not to approve collective leaves of absence by medical students. Most residents and medical students had not returned as of June 10, 2024 (Park, 2024).

The systematic review by Cho and Yune (2025) stated that the physician–government conflict from February 2024 to August 2025 disrupted medical curricula (Cho & Yune, 2025). The commentary by Jeon (2024) suggested that returning students’ thoughts, attitudes, and perspectives had changed. It proposed that faculty adapt their teaching strategies accordingly (Jeon, 2024).

Curriculum delivery and clinical clerkships

The editorial by An (2024) explained that students who did not complete the required instructional hours had to repeat the year or face dismissal. Schools delayed the start of classes and revised academic schedules (An, 2024). The Ministry of Education issued guidelines to revise university regulations so that academic schedules could be organized annually instead of by quarter or semester (An, 2024).

The commentary by Kang, Y. (2024) explained that the third-year medical curriculum spanned 45 weeks. The fourth year begins with elective clinical clerkships in the first week of January. This made following a normal academic schedule after returning difficult for current third-year students (Kang, 2024). The opinion piece by Lee (2026) argued that many medical schools already face declining educational quality at their current enrollment levels. Faculty are overburdened, and students receive insufficient clinical experience (Lee, 2026).

Residency training and national examinations

The commentary by Park, H. W. (2024) reported that 10,034 of 12,464 residents, or 80.5%, had submitted resignations (Park, 2024). The editorial by An (2024) reported that 96.7% of interns, whose training lasts 1 year, had yet to begin their training. Under the training requirements in effect at the time, they would be unable to complete the required training period even if they started immediately. They would be ineligible to enter specialist training the following year (An, 2024).

The editorial by Huh (2025) described teaching only one student in a parasitology class the previous semester because all the other students were on leave (Huh, 2025). The editorial reported, “347 candidates took the practical examination in 2024, and 266 passed, yielding a pass rate of 76.7%.” It added, “Only 310 candidates registered for the written examination scheduled for January 2025, approximately 1/10 of the usual number” (Huh, 2025).

Faculty workload and departures

The study by Seong et al. (2026) stated that the mass resignation of residents and interns increased the workload of the remaining medical faculty (Seong et al., 2026). The authors reported that 91.9% of survey participants worked more than 52 hours per week, and 11.9% worked more than 100 hours per week. The increased workload encompassed clinical care, research, student education, and supervision of junior doctors (Seong et al., 2026).

The commentary by Kim, M. J., and Kim, C. J. (2025) described a sharp increase in the number of professors leaving medical schools or university hospitals since early 2024. The authors wrote, “Professors who resigned reported a loss of professional fulfillment and insufficient time for research” (Kim & Kim, 2025). They explained that enrollment expansion had drawn greater attention to faculty departures amid persistent burnout, limited career satisfaction, and work–life imbalance (Kim & Kim, 2025).

Educational infrastructure and enrollment

The commentary by Park, H. W. (2024) reported, “On February 6, 2024, the Minister of Health and Welfare announced a plan to increase medical school admissions by 67%, from 3,058 to 5,058 annually, for the next 5 years beginning in 2025” (Park, 2024). The study by Kim, C., et al. (2025) reported that admissions for the 2025 academic year exceeded existing capacity by 54%. If students on leave return, the number of first-year students could double (Kim et al., 2025). The study suggested that some universities could lose accreditation because they lacked the capacity to accommodate the additional students (Kim et al., 2025).

The analysis by Park, J., et al. (2025) estimated that, at a student-to-faculty ratio of 24.4, an increase of 1,000 students would require approximately 41 additional anatomy professors. An increase of 2,000 would require approximately 82 more (Park et al., 2025). The authors reported that 132 faculty members with medical degrees were approaching retirement and that 104 graduate students held medical degrees. They projected that faculty shortages, particularly in traditional disciplines, would worsen with the planned increase in medical school admissions (Park et al., 2025).

Psychological effects on students and faculty

The study by Kim, C., et al. (2025) surveyed 203 students on leave in August 2024. The study by Kim, C., et al. (2025) reported, “Depression was observed in 42.4% (n = 86) of participants (PHQ-9 ≥ 10), with higher prevalence among female students and students in earlier years of study.” The authors suggested that reduced opportunities for peer interaction and support among students who returned home after taking leave may have contributed to feelings of isolation (Kim et al., 2025).

In the study by Seong et al. (2026), 135 of 491 faculty members completed the survey. Among respondents, 99.3% (n = 134) experienced at least one symptom of burnout. The PHQ-9 assessment showed that 68.9% (n = 93) of participants screened positive for depressive symptoms (Seong et al., 2026). The commentary by Jeon (2024) interpreted students’ prolonged isolation as a cause of identity crises and feelings of worthlessness (Jeon, 2024).

The systematic review by Cho and Yune (2025) reported rates of anxiety ranging from 23%–84%, depression from 10%–65%, and social isolation from 47%–72% across 33 studies from 24 countries (Cho & Yune, 2025). The authors stated, “The predominance of Western samples and potential cultural differences in expressions of distress warrant caution in generalizing these findings to Korea’s unprecedented physician–government conflict.”

Career choices and professional identity

The study by Kim, S., et al. (2025) surveyed 356 students in years 4–6 at 40 medical schools in February 2025. The analysis excluded 25 students who had never considered a specialty. Among the remaining 331 students, preference for specialties providing essential medical care fell from 76.7% (n=254) before the conflict to 29.0% (n=96) after it (Kim et al., 2025). Subthemes describing experiences of weakened professional identity included “diminished pride,” “concealment of identity,” and “a shift toward training abroad” (Kim et al., 2025).

The study by Shin et al. (2026) examined students’ research participation during leave and how they accessed research opportunities. A total of 99 students responded to the survey (response rate 16.9%), and 25 (25.3%) reported participating in research during their leave (Shin et al., 2026). Participation lasted an average of 8.6 months and involved approximately 30 hours per week. Because the university did not provide a separate program for students on leave, access to opportunities appeared to depend heavily on prior experience and social networks (Shin et al., 2026).

Recommendations from the academic organization and authors

The recommendations from the National Academy of Medicine of Korea (2025) included faculty development, incentives for educational activities, and stable government funding and policy support. The Academy’s recommendations called for establishing a systematic and advanced evaluation and feedback system across all areas of medical education, including curricula, faculty, students, and facilities.

The commentary by Kim, M. J., and Kim, C. J. (2025) proposed a national faculty cohort system. The organization developing and leading the system could be the Korea Association of Medical Colleges, as in the United States. Other options included the Korean Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation, similar to the Canadian example, or a new organization (Kim & Kim, 2025).

The commentary by Jeon (2024) proposed a safe environment, narrative reconstruction of experiences, and restored community connections as elements of a healing program for returning students. It recommended that faculty listen to students’ stories and acknowledge and accept what they say (Jeon, 2024). The study by Shin et al. (2026) proposed incorporating structured opportunities for early research participation into the curriculum (Shin et al., 2026).

The commentary by Kang, Y. S. (2024) recommended that educational institutions focus on maintaining educational quality under existing conditions and minimizing financial deficits (Kang, 2024). The opinion piece by Lee (2026) proposed supporting student welfare and the right to health, expanding education and training facilities, and increasing the numbers of faculty and dedicated educational staff. The editorial by Huh (2025) called for dialogue between the government and the medical community based on scientific evidence (Lee, 2026; Huh, 2025).

Summary

The study by Kim, C., et al. (2025) reported depression in 42.4% of students on leave, and the study by Seong et al. (2026) reported that 68.9% of faculty screened positive for depressive symptoms. The systematic review by Cho and Yune (2025) compiled depression rates ranging from 10%–65% across 33 studies from 24 countries. Comparisons must account for differences in study populations and cultural backgrounds. The predominance of Western samples limits generalization of the review findings to the Korean context.

The analysis by Park, J., et al. (2025) estimated the additional anatomy professors required using a student-to-faculty ratio of 24.4. The reported counts of 132 faculty members with medical degrees approaching retirement and 104 graduate students with medical degrees also bear on estimates of faculty supply.

References

• An, S. (2024). The abyss from which we must arise despite our pain: The 2024 medical crisis and the moral injury of medical school professors. Korean Medical Education Review, 26(2), 125-132. https://doi.org/10.17496/kmer.24.023
• Cho, H. Y., & Yune, S. J. (2025). Psychological impact of academic disruption on medical students: A systematic review. Korean Medical Education Review, 27(Suppl 1), S3-S17. https://doi.org/10.17496/kmer.25.024
• Huh, S. (2025). Halted medical education and medical residents’ training in Korea, journal metrics, and appreciation to reviewers and volunteers. Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, 22, 1. https://doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2025.22.1
• Jeon, W. T. (2024). After the conflict between physicians and the government: How will educate our students? Korean Medical Education Review, 26(2), 133-134. https://doi.org/10.17496/kmer.24.018
• Kang, Y. (2024). A medical student’s view of the conflict between physicians and the government in 2024. Korean Medical Education Review, 26(2), 135-139. https://doi.org/10.17496/kmer.24.016
• Kang, Y. S. (2024). 100 days of physician-government conflict: Between rhetoric and reality. Korean Medical Education Review, 26(2), 122-124. https://doi.org/10.17496/kmer.24.020
• Kim, C., Kwon, E. J., & Ju, G. (2025). Mental health of medical students who took a leave of absence during the 2024 medical crisis in South Korea. BMC Public Health, 25, 4016. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-25336-x
• Kim, M. J., & Kim, C. J. (2025). Proposal for a faculty cohort system for sustainable medical education in Korea. Korean Journal of Medical Education, 37(4), 525-530. https://doi.org/10.3946/kjme.2025.361
• Kim, S., Kim, D.-H., & Lee, Y.-M. (2025). Impact of the medico-political conflict in South Korea on specialty choice and professional identity among medical students: A cross-sectional study. Journal of the Korean Medical Association, 68(12), 881-892. https://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.25.0145
• Lee, Y. H. (2026). The primary emphasis in expanding medical school admissions quotas in Korea should be on the quality of education and training, not the number of students admitted. Journal of the Korean Medical Association, 69(3), 180-182. https://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.26.0020
• National Academy of Medicine of Korea. (2025). Recommendations for cultivating physicians who will lead the future of medicine in Korea: Beyond crisis and toward a new era [미래 의료를 선도할 의사 양성을 위한 제언: 위기를 넘어, 새로운 미래로]. Journal of the Korean Medical Association, 68(12), 778-779. https://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.25.0154
• Park, H. W. (2024). The 2024 medical crisis: Challenges for medical education. Korean Medical Education Review, 26(2), 118-121. https://doi.org/10.17496/kmer.24.021
• Park, J., Kim, S., Kim, M., Kim, W. M., Yoo, S.-M., & Park, K. H. (2025). Quantitative changes in the number of basic medicine faculty at medical schools in Korea: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 40(36), e263. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e263
• Seong, S. J., Hwang, J. Y., Song, J. Y., Park, K. J., Jo, Y. T., Lee, J.-H., & Park, D.-G. (2026). Burnout and depression of medical faculty: After mass resignation of junior doctors in Korea. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 41(12), e102. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2026.41.e102
• Shin, J. S., Huh, Y.-J., Yoon, N., Yoon, H. B., Oh, J. Y., & Myung, S. J. (2026). Research participation during a national educational disruption: Insights from a natural experiment in medical education. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 41, e154. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2026.41.e154