President Yoon Suk Yeol has said he believes that increasing the enrollment quota for medical schools is a matter that can no longer be put off. 

Yoon made the remark on a special KBS program that aired on Wednesday, saying it’s necessary to expand the quota given that demand for doctors is growing due to the nation’s aging society. 

The program, in which a KBS anchor interviewed Yoon while being shown around the top office, was recorded last Sunday, two days before the government announced its decision to expand the quota for medical school admissions by two-thousand to five-thousand-58 for the 2025 academic year. 

The president said the time has come to pursue reforms centered on expanding the number of medical staff while significantly reducing doctors’ legal risks and creating fair reward systems for doctors. 

He said health care reform is also needed to provide a policy under which doctors can maintain essential medical services, including pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology as well as surgical services. 

The president said such an overhaul is also necessary to set up a medical system in which doctors in rural areas don’t flock toward the Seoul metropolitan area. 

Yoon said he believes increasing the enrollment quota is the way for patients, their families and health care workers to all prosper.