Prime Minister Kim Min-seok: "Medical Students' Return, a Big Step Forward... Time to Consider the People's Will"

[Financial News]  Prime Minister Kim Min-seok stated on the 13th regarding the declaration of return by medical students, "It is fortunate that it is a big step forward. We will find a path to fruition." 
This is the first official stance on the medical students who declared their intention to return after a collective leave of absence in protest of the government's policy to increase medical school quotas in February last year, 1 year and 5 months ago.
Prime Minister Kim wrote in a post on Facebook that day, "The medical community and the National Assembly declared the return of medical students and sought the government's cooperation," he wrote.
Prime Minister Kim pointed out, "President Lee Jae-myung has been contemplating solutions and has ordered the government, including the Prime Minister, to do so," adding, "The pain of pushing 2000 people (to increase medical school quotas) was too great and deep for everyone." He further stated, "Ultimately, the will of the people is important," and "It is time for the medical community, the National Assembly, and the government to take a deeper look so that the people can help solve the problem."
The Korean Medical Students Association (KMSA) announced their intention to return all medical students through a joint statement issued by the National Assembly and the medical community on the 12th. Lee Seon-woo, the chairman of the emergency committee of KMSA, said, "We will trust the National Assembly and the government and strive for the normalization of medical education and healthcare systems."
However, the actual timing and method of return remain undecided. Medical school academic schedules are generally operated on a yearly basis, and there are concerns about fairness regarding whether students returning at the end of the first semester can receive classes under the same standards as existing students.
Some universities have regulations that make it impossible to return in the second semester if a student fails the first semester, making it difficult for the return to be immediately realized.
Regarding this, Chairman Lee Seon-woo stated, "We will receive proper education without compression or haste," and "There are sufficient measures to join without unfairness, such as adjusting vacation periods. We have suggested such parts."
The Ministry of Education has maintained a negative stance on the 'flexibility of academic affairs' demanded by medical students.
Accordingly, it seems that Prime Minister Kim will directly engage in follow-up management, including coordinating medical students' return, adjusting academic schedules, and preparing institutional buffers as a mediator of medical conflicts.
In fact, Prime Minister Kim reported that on his first day in office, on the 7th, he had a luncheon meeting with President Lee Jae-myung, where he stated that resolving social conflicts, including medical conflicts, and checking the follow-up of state affairs would be his main role.
On the same day, Prime Minister Kim continued behind-the-scenes talks by having an unofficial dinner with key figures in the medical community, such as Kim Taek-woo, chairman of the Korean Medical Association, Han Seong-jong, chairman of the Korean Association of Resident Doctors, and Lee Seon-woo, chairman of the KMSA emergency committee.

spring@fnnews.com Reporter Lee Bo-mi