• South Korean medical students are ending a 17-month boycott against government education reforms.
• The boycott was in response to plans to increase medical school admissions significantly.
• The Korean Medical Association is advocating for necessary reforms in medical education.
• Prime Minister Kim Min-seok has deemed the end of the boycott a "big step forward."

Thousands of South Korean medical students have agreed to end their 17-month boycott of classes and return to their academic activities, following significant protests against government plans to increase medical school admissions. The Korean Medical Association (KMA) announced that while no specific timeline for the return was provided, students are set to resume their education in hopes of normalizing the academic calendar and addressing ongoing issues in the healthcare system, according to SCMP and Reuters.

The boycott began due to protests against former President Yoon Suk-yeol's plans to increase medical admissions from approximately 3,000 to 5,000 annually, which students argued would degrade the quality of their education. Leaders from KMA emphasized the need for reforms that would attract future doctors into essential services, including emergency and pediatrics, according to BBC and TRT Global.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok expressed support for this decision, labeling it a "big step forward" toward resolving the ongoing crisis in South Korea's medical education. He indicated that the government is seeking ways to address the issues raised during the protests, including the participation of stakeholders in proposed reforms. Simultaneously, the Korean Medical Students' Association emphasized that students felt a prolonged boycott could jeopardize the stability of the healthcare system, as noted by Channel News Asia and TRT Global.