Back to square one
After a 14-month tug-of-war over medical reform, Korea is back at square one. The Ministry of Education announced on April 17 that the 2026 enrollment quota for medical schools would remain fixed at 3,058, effectively conceding to doctors’ demands and raising a white flag. The decision follows months of patient inconvenience and massive injections of health insurance funds. Patient advocacy groups have expressed dismay. The Korean proverb “sandfish again” — roughly, “all for nothing” — aptly captures the mood. [PARK YONG-SEOK]
