| Questions Emerging from Medical Education in the Aftermath of the 2024 Medical Conflict in Korea |
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Kyung-Soon Hong |
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Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea |
| 의정 사태 이후 의학교육 현장에서 떠오른 질문 |
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홍경순 |
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한림대학교 의과대학 내과학교실 순환기내과 |
Correspondence:
Kyung-Soon Hong, Tel: +82-33-240-5275, Fax: +82-33-240-5814, Email: kshong@hallym.or.kr
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Received: 8 January 2026 • Revised: 29 January 2026 • Accepted: 4 February 2026 |
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| Abstract |
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The 2024 medical conflict in Korea, often summarized as a ‘medical crisis’, exposed not only the fragility of the healthcare delivery system, but also the vulnerable foundations of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. The abrupt withdrawal of residents and the prolonged disruption of clinical teaching did not merely create a temporary gap in the curriculum, it left a deep fissure in the development of an entire generation of physicians and medical professionals. As a clinician-educator in internal medicine, the author came to regard this crisis less as a political dispute and more as an invitation to revisit three fundamental questions about medical education: what we have been teaching, for whom we have been teaching, and how we can teach together. This article reflects on these three questions from the perspective of the educational field after the crisis and explores the internal limitations of current medical education, which centers on knowledge transmission, examination performance, and short-term workforce needs. Based on this reflection, three directions are proposed for rebuilding medical education after the crisis: healing students’ trauma and restoring a psychologically safe learning environment; restructuring curricula around core professional and civic competencies; and redefining educational governance through the stable participation of all stakeholders. Drawing on these proposals, this article argues that medical education in Korea should become a central arena for recovering public trust and re-articulating the social meaning of being a physician. |
| Key Words:
Medical education; Student, medical; Curriculum; Health policy; Educational governance |
| 주제어:
의학교육; 의과대학 학생; 교육 과정; 보건의료 정책; 교육 거버넌스 |
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