Chiefs of medical schools across the nation have officially requested the government freeze the medical school admissions quota for next year at the current level.

The Korean Association of Medical Colleges (KAMC), representing deans of medical schools nationwide, made the call on Sunday in a statement, urging the government to form a consultative body with the medical community.

The deans also said that if the situation continues and students fail to return and attend classes, the medical schools will have no choice but to accept the students' applications for leave of absence in order to prevent them from failing the courses.

Many students have yet to return to classes and have applied for leave of absence amid the protracted standoff between the government and the doctors' community over the quota hike, although the medical schools have not accepted the applications.

If the situation continues until the end of this month, it would lead to disruptions to the academic calendar, putting the students in a situation where they would fail collectively and need to repeat the year.

The KAMC also called for the swift establishment of a consultative body between the government and the medical community to decide the medical school admission quota after 2026.