364 Applicants, 11.4% of Eligible Candidates
159 Active Medical Students Submitted Applications
It has been reported that just over 10% of medical students applied for the practical exam of next year's medical licensing examination (Kuksi). Among active medical students, only about 5% applied. Medical students have collectively boycotted the exam, making it likely that the production of new doctors next year will effectively come to a halt.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 27th that the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute (Kuksiwon) closed applications for the medical licensing practical exam at 6 p.m. on the 26th, with a total of 364 applicants.
There were about 3,000 fourth-year medical students eligible to take the exam, plus about 200 additional candidates including previous exam failures and foreign medical graduates, totaling approximately 3,200 candidates. Of these, only about 11.4% applied.
In particular, among active medical students, only 159, which is just 5% of the total, submitted applications.
The Korean Medical Student Association (KMSA) revealed on the 21st that, according to a survey of 3,015 fourth-year medical students from 40 medical schools nationwide who were expected to take the medical licensing exam, 95.52% (2,773 out of 2,903 respondents) refused to submit the consent form for providing personal information required for the exam.
Despite the government's conciliatory measures, only a small number of residents have returned to training hospitals, and many residents who resigned are unlikely to apply for the second half recruitment starting in September, suggesting that the shortage of medical personnel will be prolonged.
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