Seoul National University president wins engineering student election over medical student candidate |

In the 2025 Seoul National University student body president election, an engineering student candidate was elected by a double score over a medical student candidate who served as the chair of the medical school’s emergency response committee.

Analysis suggests that concerns that Seoul National University’s student council could be used politically to address the issue of increasing the number of medical school students when medical student candidates are elected played a role.

According to Seoul National University on the 17th, as a result of the voting for the 64th Student Council President election held for 5 days from the 11th, Min-gyu Kim (23), Class of 21 in the Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, was elected with 5,445 votes. The vote rate was 64.84%.

This is twice the number of votes (2,814) received by Lee Kang-jun (24), a ’19 student in the Department of Medicine.

Previously, there were concerns within the school that if candidate Lee was elected, he would use the student council politically to address the issue of increasing the number of medical schools.

Candidate Lee served as chairman of the medical school’s emergency response committee after residents (interns and residents) left the hospital in February of this year. It was later revealed that candidate Lee did not list this history in the election candidate career history, causing controversy.

When candidate Lee’s candidacy was announced, online student communities said, “At a time when the issue of increasing the number of medical schools is socially sensitive, it would be controversial for a medical student to become the president of the Seoul National University student council, so it would be better if it doesn’t make a fuss.” “Candidates expressed any opinions about expanding the medical school. There were posts saying things like, ‘I hope you focus on school instead of doing too much.’

Meanwhile, the elected candidate Kim proposed the establishment of a transportation environment improvement council and overseas university exchange programs.

The voter turnout in this year’s Seoul National University student election was 50.15%, which was about double that of last year (24.4%). Voter turnout appears to have increased significantly due to the government’s policy to increase the number of medical school students, the resulting backlash from medical students, and the growing controversy over medical student candidates running for office.