[2024 National Audit] "Medical Students Serving as Regular Soldiers Instead of Military Doctors Increased Sixfold"

This Year, 1,059 Medical Students on Military Leave Recorded
Leave Period Seems to Have Shifted to Military Service
Concerns Grow Over Long-Term Shortage of Military Medical Officers

This year, there has been a sharp increase in military leave among medical students. As medical students' leaves have prolonged due to conflicts between the government and medical community over the expansion of medical school quotas, more medical students are taking leave to resolve military service issues. There are concerns that this could lead to a long-term shortage of military medical officers.

According to the 'Status of Military Leave among Medical Students' submitted by the Ministry of Education to Nam In-soon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, as of the 23rd of last month, the number of medical students on military leave from 40 medical schools this year reached 1,059. This represents a 553.7% increase compared to 162 students last year. Since three universities did not submit data, the actual number is expected to be even higher.

In previous years, the number of medical students on military leave was around 100. For example, in 2021, there were 116 students on leave; in 2022, 138; and in 2023, about 162. Compared to these figures, the number of medical students on military leave has increased significantly this year.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Typically, medical students enlist as military medical officers after obtaining their medical licenses, serving for 39 months. In contrast, active-duty soldiers in the army serve for 18 months. It is presumed that medical students, facing prolonged leave due to conflicts over medical school quota expansion, are enlisting to resolve their military service issues.

The increase in military leave among medical students could lead to a long-term shortage of military medical officers, as potential medical officers complete their military service as regular soldiers instead. Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, and others have repeatedly pointed out that "if fourth-year medical students do not take the medical licensing exam and no new doctors emerge, there will be no interns, public health doctors, or military medical officers."

Representative Nam expressed concern, stating, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration's irresponsible and unilateral enforcement of a 2,000-student increase in medical school quotas without proper communication with the medical community has triggered a domino effect, leading to a crisis of medical system collapse due to mass resignation of residents and the collapse of medical education." She added, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration should not insist solely on increasing medical school quotas by 2,000 students, threatening the lives and safety of the public and patients. Instead, it must take drastic measures to reinstate residents who have left the medical field and allow medical students who have left education to return."