The Korean Medical Association(KMA) has demanded that the government apologize for its policy on increasing medical school admissions after its announcement that it will lower the number of admissions back to the previous level.

Speaking to reporters at a news briefing Friday, KMA spokesperson Kim Seong-geun said the government’s announcement only refers to reverting next year’s recruitment numbers to the level before the increase, but the quotas remain at the increased figure of five-thousand-58 students.

The association argued that it is impossible to believe that the admissions numbers will be reduced while the quotas are maintained, and called for an apology regarding the policy failure.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyoo-hong called on medical students to return to school and urged both parents and doctors to encourage them to do so, adding that the government plans to take strict action against illegal activities that hinder the return of medical students.