Choe Gae-jip, who requested a meeting with the opposition, says "Give a chance for the national exam"... Han Jeong-ae says "Fairness must be considered"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] On the 24th, Han Jeong-ae, the Policy Committee Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Choi Dae-jip, the President of the Korea Medical Association (KMA), met to discuss the issue of medical students retaking the practical exam of the national medical licensing examination (Kuksi), but confirmed their existing differences in position.

President Choi requested a meeting with Chair Han, urging efforts to allow medical students to take the Kuksi, but Chair Han responded that it is a matter to consider the fairness and equity of the national examination.

On this day, President Choi emphasized, “Since medical and medical graduate students have made the decision to express their intention to take the Kuksi after intense deliberation, a progressive government measure is needed to enable them to take the exam.” He also stated, “As the parties to the medical-government-legislative agreement, I hope Chair Han will work diligently in various ways, including intermediate coordination, to implement the agreements made between the KMA and the Democratic Party of Korea on the 4th.”

In response, Chair Han said there is a possibility of discussing related matters with the Ministry of Health and Welfare in the future, but no discussions have started yet.

After the meeting with President Choi at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, Chair Han told reporters, “We have already extended the application deadline once or twice, but it was still refused,” and expressed regret over the unfortunate situation. He added, “There is also an issue of fairness compared to other national examinations,” and explained, “Since the public views the national examination with concerns about fairness, we need to take that into account, so I suggested taking some time to consider.”

When asked if he would discuss with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, he replied, “It will naturally happen,” and added, “We have not talked about it yet.”