Seoul: Medical students who boycotted classes in protest of the government's plan to increase medical school admissions announced Saturday they will return to school after nearly 17 months. The Korean Medical Student Association made the announcement during a press conference with the National Assembly's education and welfare committees, and the Korean Medical Association.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the students declared their intention to return to school, expressing trust in the National Assembly and the government. They committed to working towards normalizing medical education and the healthcare system, although the exact date of their return was not specified. The students also called on the government to restore academic schedules and to establish a consultative body aimed at improving the medical training environment in the long term.

The announcement comes after a prolonged period of unrest, initiated by thousands of trainee doctors walking off their jobs and many medical students boycotting classes since February last year. This was in response to the government's decision to increase medical school enrollment by 2,000 starting this year.

The education ministry had previously announced that 8,305 students in 40 medical schools nationwide would be subject to grade retention, requiring them to repeat the same academic year alongside younger students. Although the government later reversed its decision to increase the quota, restoring the 2026 admissions to the original level of approximately 3,000, many trainee doctors and medical students have not yet fully returned to hospitals and schools.