Policy Errors and Constraints on Error Correction in the Expansion of Medical School Admissions Quota in South Korea: Focusing on the Institutionalization of Non-Correction

This study examines the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s initiative to expand medical school admissions quotas through the lens of the institutionalization of non-correction. It employs a critical reflection approach with analysis of government and medical association statements and media reports. The findings show that initial policy errors arose from a flawed problem diagnosis, an overemphasis on quantitative targets, and a unilateral implementation that lacked stakeholder consultation. Efforts to address these errors were constrained by concentrated presidential power, bureaucratic subordination and risk aversion, and political uncertainty linked to the general election and political turmoil. The medical community’s professional exclusivity, interpretive authority, and organizational cohesion also limited policy revision. The study highlights how policy errors and failed correction are shaped not only by a passive bureaucratic culture under authoritarian power structures and political instability but also by the privileged authority of professional groups. It also demonstrates that the expansion of medical school quotas had consequences beyond the healthcare sector, affecting higher education policy and educational governance. These findings call for future research in educational policy to look beyond the educational subsystem.