South Korea to establish government-funded national medical school with 15-year public-service obligation

The National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee has approved the National Medical School Establishment Act, a bill that would create a government-funded national medical school. President Lee Jae-myung welcomed the committee’s move and praised the lawmakers who led the bill, particularly Park Ju-min, chair of the Welfare Committee.

Park Ju-min, who led the committee through the bill, shared the news on X (formerly Twitter). The president then reposted Park’s message, writing that the achievement in healthcare reform was not easy and expressing appreciation for the effort.

Park Ju-min is also a prospective candidate in the Democratic Party’s Seoul mayoral primary. Her involvement in promoting a major health policy while running for city office has drawn attention to the intersection of local elections and national reform efforts.

The core policy envisions the state establishing a national medical school, with tuition and related costs covered by government funding. In return, graduates would obtain a medical license and be obligated to work for 15 years in public medical institutions after graduation, tying education to public-health service.

This development comes amid ongoing political jockeying in Seoul’s mayoral race, where several candidates are vying to lead South Korea’s capital. The timing of praise from the president for Park Ju-min underscores how national healthcare reform is being framed within local political contests.

The episode matters beyond Korea for U.S. readers because it highlights how Korea is financing and incentivizing the training and deployment of doctors to public health facilities. A national medical school with service obligations could influence doctor shortages, public health capacity, and the long-term cost structure of Korea’s healthcare system, with potential implications for regional knowledge sharing, healthcare policy collaboration, and supply-chain resilience in East Asia.

For context, the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee is a key legislative body shaping Korea’s social and healthcare policy. The proposed act would align medical education with public service obligations, a model that differs from private or for-profit medical education approaches seen in some other countries.