Photo : YONHAP News
Seoul National University College of Medicine has approved a leave of absence for medical students who have been refusing to attend classes all year.
A member of the college’s emergency committee confirmed on Tuesday that the applications, submitted together in February, were approved Monday despite clear opposition from the education ministry.
The committee member said the decision was unavoidable because the students could not complete a full year of study by the end of the academic year in February.
The government has said the students, who are protesting its unilateral decision to raise the medical school admissions quota, lack justifiable grounds for a leave of absence.
In response to reports, the education ministry issued a statement on Tuesday expressing strong regret and saying it will push for an audit.
With only two-point-eight percent of registered students at the nation’s 40 medical schools currently attending classes, according to ministry data, it is widely thought that the decision will have a domino effect.