The education ministry has warned Pusan National University that it could face punitive measures after the institution on Tuesday refused to revise regulations to increase its medical school admissions quota.

The ministry said on Wednesday that it may issue an order requiring the university to take corrective measures if the revision has ultimately been aborted.

The ministry warned that if the university fails to take measures to increase its admissions quota, it plans to take action such as suspending student recruitment. 

Pusan National University planned to revise its school regulations to increase the annual number of medical school admissions from 125 to 200, and to recruit 163 students for next year. 

However, the university rejected the revision on Tuesday in its academic board meeting, citing the need for sufficient discussions before the university decides on the increase of its admissions quota. 

The ministry stressed that according to the Higher Education Act, when the head of a university sets regulations on the quota for medical schools, he should follow the education minister, which means the 32 designated universities are required to abide by the government’s allocated increases.