What is behind South Korea medical student quota dispute

March 7 (Reuters) - The South Korean government said on Friday it was prepared to freeze the number of new medical students in a bid to resolve a 13-month long dispute involving a walkout by more than 13,000 trainee doctors and medical students boycotting classes.

The proposal, which the government said was conditional on medical students agreeing to return to class, could potentially send the plan pushed by impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol back to the drawing board in an effort to restore a healthcare system that has been upended by the walkout and boycott.

Here are some details about South Korea's medical system and the dispute.

South Korea has a universal healthcare system funded by a public health insurance system though most doctors work in private practices and hospitals are usually privately owned.

The doctor-to-patient ratio of 2.6 per 1,000 people is one of the lowest among developed countries, according to data from the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. In contrast, top ranked Austria has 5.5 doctors per 1,000 people.

The government planned to increase admissions to medical schools in 2025 by 2,000 from the current 3,000 to fill what it projects to be a large shortfall of doctors by 2035.

The trainee doctors walked out claiming the increase would lower the quality of medical education and the qualification of new doctors. They argued that rather than just an increase in numbers more reform was needed in or...
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