Min Cheol Chang

doi:10.12701/jyms.2025.42.47

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Reckless policy to expand medical school enrollment quotas slows down research engines at the local private university hospital: Min Cheol Chang; Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science 2025;42:47.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12701/jyms.2025.42.47
Published online: August 25, 2025

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Korea

Corresponding author: Min Cheol Chang, MD Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, 170 Hyeonchung-ro, Nam-gu, Daegu 42415, Korea Tel: +82-53-620-4682 • E-mail: wheel633@gmail.com

• Received: August 14, 2025 • Revised: August 18, 2025 • Accepted: August 21, 2025

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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In February 2024, the South Korean government announced an increase in the country’s medical school enrollment quota from 3,058 to 5,058 [1-3]. This decision was made without sufficient consultation with the medical community or presentation of supporting evidence. The move led to widespread unrest, with over 90% of residents at training hospitals resigning and medical students suspending their studies, resulting in a significant disruption of the medical system.

In April 2025, the impeachment of former President Suk Yeol Yoon was finalized, paving the way for President Jae Myung Lee to assume office in June of the same year. Following the mediation and negotiations facilitated by the new administration, all medical students resumed their studies in August, with residents scheduled to return in September alongside the launch of new recruitment initiatives. However, the resulting decline in academic and research activities has been challenging to reverse.

In South Korea, residents constitute approximately 40% of the medical staff at university hospitals and perform a wide range of responsibilities, including outpatient care support, inpatient management, preparation for rounds, working in emergency rooms and intensive care units, assistance in surgeries and procedures, administrative duties, medical student education, and research participation. Their contributions enable medical school professors to devote time to research, allowing for ongoing academic engagement and both domestic and international research output. However, the government’s policy of increasing medical school enrollment quotas triggered a mass exodus of residents. Consequently, professors have been compelled to spend most of their time on clinical duties, significantly hindering research activities.

Private university hospitals in rural areas have experienced severe consequences. Already facing a shortage of specialists compared to the capital region, professors were forced to accept even heavier clinical workloads to compensate for the absence of residents, leading some to resign because of prolonged work-related stress. Moreover, the collapse of the hospital system exacerbated financial difficulties, compelling professors to prioritize clinical duties over research. This situation appears to have profoundly affected the overall academic ecosystem of these local private university hospitals.

The Yeungnam University Medical Center, a private university hospital located in Daegu, has maintained a strong commitment to research, consistently ranking among the top five hospitals nationwide in Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) paper publications per professor for 8 years (2015–2022). However, research output has declined in recent years. In 2024, the number of SCIE papers published by professors at the center as lead authors (i.e., first or corresponding author) fell by approximately 9.8% compared with that in 2023. When annualized based on January to August data, the number of papers published by lead authors in 2025 decreased by approximately 40.1% compared with that in 2023. A similar trend was observed in research activity indicators: requests for statistical analysis submitted to the Medical Statistics Center at Yeungnam University Medical Center fell by approximately 24% and 37.1% in 2024 and 2025, respectively, when compared to 2023 values (annualized in 2025 based on January–August data). In addition, the number of submissions from South Korean authors to the Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science decreased by 27.3% in 2024 and 49.3% in 2025 when compared to 2023 values (annualized in 2025 based on submissions until July).

Despite the anticipated return of residents to their professional duties, the severely weakened research ecosystem of the Yeungnam University Medical Center is unlikely to recover spontaneously. The overzealous expansion of medical school enrollment quotas has led to the suspension of ongoing research, dismantling of research systems, and disruption of clinical data collection. Moreover, the breakdown of the mentorship structure between professors and residents will hinder the short-term restoration of academic productivity. To address this situation effectively, it is essential to implement long-term strategies at both the national and hospital levels, with a focus on rebuilding the medical research ecosystem and ensuring sustained support and execution.

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Conflicts of interest

Min Cheol Chang has been a Deputy Editor of Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science since 2025. He was not involved in the review process of this manuscript. There are no other conflicts of interest to declare.

Funding

None.

References

1. Dyer O. South Korea: striking junior doctors are threatened with arrest and suspension. BMJ 2024;384:q495.Article PubMed
2. Huh S. The new placement of 2,000 entrants at Korean medical schools in 2025: is the government’s policy evidence-based? Ewha Med J 2024;47:e13. Article PubMed PMC PDF
3. Park HW. Encouraging message from the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences to junior doctors in struggle. J Korean Med Sci 2024;39:e108. Article PubMed PMC PDF

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Reckless policy to expand medical school enrollment quotas slows down research engines at the local private university hospital