People pass by a medical school in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

The implementation of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's plan to increase the admissions quota for medical schools next year was finalized at a meeting held on Friday by the Korea Council for University Education, despite the continued protests by doctors.

According to revised admissions quota submitted by universities operating medical schools across the country, the total enrollment for next year will increase by 1,509 from the current 3,058. The new slots are fewer than the government's initial plan of 2,000.

During its meeting, the council approved these revised plans as well as other details, such as the recruitment of regional talent and the ratios for regular and early admissions.

This marks the first rise in medical school admission seats in nearly three decades — the last hike was when Jeju National University opened its medical school in 1998.

Attempts by previous governments to raise the number of medical students, made in 2018 and 2020, foundered due to fierce opposition from doctors who raised concerns that the hike would compromise the quality of medical education and training.

The Yoon government renewed the attempt to expand the quota as part of its medical sector reform initiative, aimed at improving public access to health care services and improving the working environment of physicians, especially those in essential treatment fields such as pediatrics, obstetrics and emergency medicine.

Nevertheless, the plan, again, provoked protests by doctors, and this time, more than 90 percent of trainee doctors at major hospitals nationwide, walked off their jobs as of February, resulting in massive disruptions to medical services.

According to the Ministry of Education, universities will officially announce their revised admissions plans for 2025, approved by the council, on their websites by the end of the month. The completion of these processes will make the medical school enrollment quota hike irreversible.

The 1,509 new seats are for the 2025 school year, and it is unclear whether the increased annual number will continue as the Yoon administration has planned.

In their protest, trainee doctors on strike have continued to refuse to return to work, while medical professors have submitted letters of resignation or suspended treating patients in support of these young doctors.

Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo speaks during a media briefing at the Government Complex in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

Nevertheless, the government made it clear, once again, that it will continue to push for its medical sector reform initiative.

"We will expand support for trainee doctors. We urge them to trust the government and return to work promptly. That will be the beginning to resolve the standoff," Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during a media briefing.

Park also renewed calls on doctors' groups, such as the Korean Medical Association, to come to the table without conditions.