Medical Students' Class Boycott Continues Amid Controversy Over National Scholarships

Amid a situation where medical students have been boycotting classes for over a year, it has been revealed that the number of medical students applying for national scholarships for the first semester of this year has surpassed 4,600.

This number represents a decrease compared to 7,210 students for the first semester last year, but there are criticisms stating that it is unreasonable to grant scholarships to students who are not attending classes.

According to data received from the Ministry of Education by Kim Mi-ae, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, a total of 4,634 students from 39 medical schools across the country (excluding CHA University) applied for national scholarships this semester.

By university, Seoul National University had the highest number of applicants at 241, followed by Chosun University (235), Korea University (219), and Jeonbuk National University (202). Yonsei University's main campus had 148 applicants, Catholic University had 139, Sungkyunkwan University had 71, and Ulsan University had 79.

It is noteworthy that the number of applicants has increased again compared to last year's intense conflicts between the medical profession and the government.

In the last year, the total amount of national scholarships allocated to medical students nationwide reached 9.67 billion won, with Chosun University receiving the highest amount of 917 million won. Jeonbuk National University and Wonkwang University received 547 million won and 506 million won, respectively.

Kim Mi-ae emphasized, "The new government should comprehensively review the operational and execution deficiencies or unreasonable aspects of the scholarship system," and stated that "a rational and fair system must be established from the very first stage of entering the medical system."

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