South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok welcomed the decision by medical students to return to school, bringing an end to a 17-month boycott of classes in protest against the previous administration’s medical reform plans.

An association of medical students on Saturday announced its decision to resume studies, signaling a resolution to the prolonged standoff between the medical community and the government that had disrupted patient care.

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“This is a significant step forward,” Kim wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday.

The administration of former president Yoon Suk-yeol sparked protests and a class boycott in February 2024 by proposing a sharp increase in medical-school admissions. Although the government later reversed course, many trainee doctors and students have yet to fully return to hospitals and classrooms.