The education ministry said on Sunday it will temporarily allow medical students to take a leave of absence on condition that they return to school next year.
The decision follows Seoul National University's move late last month to approve leave of absence requests submitted en masse in protest of the government's medical reform plans, which include increasing medical school quotas.
While reaffirming its stance that taking leave to show solidarity is not a valid reason, the ministry said its temporary measure is aimed, in part, at normalizing education.
It, however, warned that students who fail to return next year will face penalties, including possible expulsion.
The ministry stressed that taking semesters off in collective protest does not "constitute legitimate grounds" for a leave of absence, but added that universities should "guarantee students the opportunity to return through individual consultation."
On Sept. 30, Seoul National University approved leave of absence requests for the spring semester from about 780 medical students, representing around 96 percent of its total student body of the medical department.
This has raised concerns that other universities may follow suit, potentially leading to widespread absences among medical students.
Five organizations representing the medical community, including the Korean Medical Association, released a joint statement blasting the decision as "an anti-constitutional move that infringes upon students' freedom and universities' autonomy."
Their statement noted the Constitution guarantees the "independence, professionalism and political impartiality of education and the autonomy of institutions of higher learning" in Article 31 (4). The medical groups also pointed to Article 10 of the Constitution, which states, "All citizens shall be assured of human dignity and worth and have the right to the pursuit of happiness. It shall be the duty of the State to confirm and guarantee the fundamental and inviolable human rights of individuals."
"The education ministry has gone against the Constitution to strip students of freedom because it knows medical education will not be possible under these circumstances," the statement read. "Something like this could only happen in a totalitarian dictatorship."
The groups said the only way for the government to bring medical students back to class is "to apologize for making a unilateral push for policies and to have discussions with the medical community."
