Medical students at Chungbuk National University hold signs opposing the increase in the number of medical school admission seats in front of the Seoul Central District Court, Monday, before filing for a related injunction against the president of the university. Yonhap

Students preparing for medical school admissions are complaining about the government's latest decision to allow schools to decrease the size of enrollment expansion by the hundreds, creating confusion for them at a time when the application period for early admissions is now less than five months away.

Interest in entering medical schools has been growing since February after the Yoon Suk Yeol administration announced a plan to increase the quota by 2,000 slots from the current 3,058, starting from the 2025 academic year.

The government allocated the additional 2,000 admission seats to 32 universities on March 20, signaling its strong will to proceed with the plan, despite protests from doctors.

However, on Friday, the administration allowed universities to adjust their quotas on their own within a range of 50 to 100 percent of the increased quota allocated to them. This decision is expected to decrease the number of new slots by 500 to 1,000.

In particular, complaints are being lodged by those who are majoring in different subjects at universities or working in other fields and who recently joined the competition to get into medical schools by retaking the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). The CSAT is the national college entrance exam that takes place every November in Korea.

A 21-year-old second-year college student currently studying natural sciences at one of the nation's top universities in Seoul said he has been studying for CSAT on top of his academic work, following the government's announcement to increase the number of medical students.

"Taking the CSAT again was a big decision that can change my life. The government's flip-flopping on the policy made me think that my efforts may have been in vain," he said.

Medical professionals walk down a hallway at a major hospital in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

High school seniors, their parents and teachers are also been thrown into confusion ahead of the application period for the non-scheduled admission, similar to early action in the U.S. college admissions system, scheduled to begin on Sept. 9.

As medical schools are highly selective by their nature, the decrease in the number of new slots could affect the admission standards of other medical-related departments and schools, such as dental or pharmacy schools, as well as science and engineering colleges.

"Predictability is one of the most important factors when planning for college entrance, but the government is shaking the situation," a high school teacher in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, said.

Universities are set to make a final decision on admission seats for their medical schools by the end of this month as the Korean Council for University Education has asked them to do so.

Confusion is expected to last until the end of May, when universities are scheduled to announce guidelines for applicants after the council deliberates on and approves their plans.

The government and doctors have failed to find a breakthrough in the prolonged walkout by more than 10,000 trainee doctors over the plan to increase the number of medical school seats.

The latest announcement to allow universities to adjust their quotas marked the Yoon administration's first deviation from its steadfast commitment to the 2,000 slots, but doctors, who said such a drastic increase would compromise medical education and training, rejected the proposal.

Amid the prolonged standoff, the Korean Association of Medical Colleges and Graduate School of Medicine suggested Sunday that the government freeze the medical school enrollment quota for next year and discuss future increases with the medical community.

This suggestion was rejected by Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Monday, as he said the government will not stop pushing for reform of the medical sector.

"Failure in medical sector reform is not an option. The government will surely achieve it to revive essential medical treatment sectors as well as medical services in underserved areas," Cho said during a government meeting.