South Korea expands regional medical school quotas across 32 universities, excluding Seoul

The Ministry of Education in South Korea has informed 32 regional universities outside the Seoul area that their medical school intake will be expanded, with Seoul excluded from the plan. The announcement was reported by KBS Jeonju, a regional affiliate of the public broadcaster.

Universities will have a one-month window to file objections or appeals, after which the final medical school quotas are expected to be announced next month.

The expansion amounts to a total increase of 490 additional medical training places for next year, and 613 additional places over the four years starting the year after next.

There is particular attention on how many of these seats will be allocated to Jeonbuk National University and Wonkwang University Medical Schools, as regional academic and medical communities monitor the plan closely.

Jeonbuk National University is based in Jeonju, the capital of North Jeolla Province, while Wonkwang University operates its medical school in Iksan, also in North Jeolla. Both institutions are among the regional universities included in the plan.

For international readers, the move matters because it signals a shift in South Korea’s medical education landscape, with potential effects on the country’s healthcare workforce, regional access to medical services, and opportunities for international collaboration in Asia-Pacific.

In the broader context, expanding regional medical training capacity could influence Korea’s biotech and health‑tech sectors, influencing talent pipelines and research partnerships that involve U.S. institutions and companies.

The final quotas will be published next month after the appeals window closes, completing the process to set the new medical school intake.