Amid the expulsion of medical students who do not return to school, the number of students who have expressed their intention to return to school at Yonsei University and Korea University Medical School, which sent a notice of expulsion on the 24th, has reportedly risen to 80% of their students. In Seoul National University Medical School, 66 percent of the respondents said they should switch to "struggle after registration" in their own voting, and about 700 people returned on the 27th, the last day of registration. As many of SKY's medical schools return to school, it is expected to have a significant impact on other medical schools.

Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has sent a letter to 40 medical schools nationwide urging medical students on group leave to return to school. An acting authority said, "Those who choose to return to class among medical students are a courageous choice and a difficult decision. I applaud the students who have decided to return, he said. "If you are still hesitant to return, please don't hesitate to return to the classroom."

The Seoul National University Medical School's Task Force (TF) conducted a vote from around 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. the previous day, and found that 65.7% (399 people) of 607 respondents approved of registration. As a result, medical students at Seoul National University decided to return to school to avoid the risk of expulsion. However, even if they return to school, they plan to continue their struggle by refusing classes.

Yonsei University and Korea University Medical School are also on the rise to return. Yonsei University's Emergency Response Committee (emergency committee) decided to switch the first semester's leave of absence to "registration and leave of absence" on the night of the 26th and notified the students. Yonsei University closed its registration on the 21st and sent a notice of expulsion to unregistered students on the 24th. However, the school is still open ahead of the final expulsion process on the 28th. As a result, a significant number of students reportedly registered at the last minute on this day.

At Korea University Medical School, five former student representatives publicly expressed their opinion that the will of returning students should be respected among medical students on the 25th, and it is known that students who are eligible for expulsion are applying for back-to-school counseling. Korea University is continuing internal discussions on whether to accept students returning after the enrollment period. Even among other medical students, there is a widespread atmosphere that each person should also pursue a student life.



Unlike last year, more and more students seem to be thinking about returning to school as each university emphasizes a hard-line response to unregistered students. A medical student at a private university said, "The school seems to have a strong will to remove the military unless the date of enlistment is confirmed," adding, "I am contemplating about registration, but now I want to go back." Medical student B said, "At one time, I gave up registration when I saw the list of registered people on an anonymous bulletin board and got distracted," adding, "I have a lot of thoughts because I think paid is better than expulsion."

Some people are still calling for the continued hard-line struggle. "We don't know whether the emergency committee decided to change its position or decide unilaterally by collecting internal opinions," said C, a medical student at Yonsei University. "In the end, it is up to individuals to take a leave of absence, so not all students will follow the 'post-registration leave'."

D, a medical student, said, "If you have taken a leave of absence for more than a year, you have to negotiate properly, but it's stupid to do this right before the regime changes."

In particular, another variable is that the entire medical student organization still maintains its position to continue the "unregistered struggle" despite the departure of some universities. The Korean Medical University and Medical Graduate Student Association (U.S. Medical Association) emphasized in a statement that "the struggle is not over," and that "the remaining 38 units are still unregistered." The Seoul Metropolitan Medical Association also issued a statement on the same day, saying, "We will try to protect medical students by obtaining a medical license in the event of a large-scale paid and expulsion." In addition, another problem may arise if returned students refuse to take classes through "post-registration leave of absence."

If education is disrupted due to the refusal of medical students to take group classes, the government is likely to put pressure on medical schools again, saying it will increase the number of medical students to 5058 in 2026. In this case, it is unclear how long the struggle momentum of medical students, who have already collapsed, will be maintained.

[Reporter Lee Yong-ik / Reporter Shim Hee-jin / Reporter Choi Won-seok]