S. Korea to require university accreditation for paramedic training from 2029

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Monday that it is moving forward with procedures to implement a university designation system for training first-level emergency medical technicians, to take effect from the 2029 academic year.

The designation system is grounded in an amendment to the Emergency Medical Service Act enacted in January 2024. It was introduced to ensure the quality of paramedic training at the national level following the 2023 deregulation that allowed universities to freely set enrollment quotas for their emergency medical technology departments.

Ahead of the system's launch, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Central Emergency Medical Center at the National Medical Center will hold two information sessions — at Yun In-bae Hall of Severance Hospital in Seoul on Tuesday and at Seo Ui-pil Hall of Hannam University in Daejeon on Thursday.

The process will begin with the announcement of the plan and the opening of applications at the end of this year, followed by on-site reviews in 2027, with the system applying to students entering in the 2029 academic year. Only graduates of designated universities or colleges who majored in emergency medical technology will be eligible to sit the national licensing examination for first-level emergency medical technicians.

The designation review will focus on verifying whether universities actually meet the educational conditions required to train first-level emergency medical technicians — covering curricula, faculty, and facilities and equipment.

On-site reviews at each university will cross-check submitted documents against actual educational operations.

A pilot designation review will also be conducted for the 10 universities that have applied ahead of the formal review.

The pilot review will assess each university's curriculum, faculty, and facilities and equipment using the same criteria as the formal review, and will provide tailored consulting on areas requiring improvement.

Universities that meet the facilities and equipment criteria during the pilot review will be exempt from that portion of the formal review.

The formal designation review will begin with the announcement of the plan and the opening of applications at the end of 2026. On-site reviews will be conducted from March through June 2027, after which results will be communicated and an appeals process will follow.

Universities that fall short of some criteria but subsequently meet certain requirements will be given an opportunity to address deficiencies through a supplementary review. Final designation results will be announced in April 2028 after an appeals deliberation process.

The ministry plans to continue monitoring compliance with designation standards and educational conditions after accreditation is granted, and to amend the Emergency Medical Service Act to establish a framework for ongoing quality management — including re-designation and conditional designation.

Son Yeong-rae, director of the ministry's Regional Essential Public Medical Care Office, said the designation system is intended for the government to systematically manage the quality and practical competency of paramedic training. "We will actively support universities in their preparations through information sessions and the pilot review, and will continue to oversee the system after it takes effect to build a paramedic training framework that the public can trust," he said.