Unprecedented Military Medical Officer 'Enlistment Crisis'..."Priority Selection for Those Approaching Age 33"

Estimated 4,000 Military Medical Officers and Public Health Doctors to Enlist Next Year
Four Times the Usual 1,200
Residents Who Resigned Amid Medical-Political Conflicts to Enlist Immediately
Priority Selection for Those Approaching Maximum Age Limit of 33 Years

As the conflict between the government and medical residents is expected to extend beyond this year, it has been reported that the government and military authorities have only recently decided on the selection method for conscription candidates among the resigning medical residents early next year, who exceed the quota for military enlistment.

According to the government and military authorities on the 9th, the Military Manpower Administration will prioritize selecting those among the approximately 4,000 next year's military doctors and public health doctors who are approaching the age limit of 33, which is the maximum age for officer candidate trainees, and will randomly draw lots for the remaining quota.

The Ministry of National Defense has been assigning about 1,200 new personnel every March, including 700 to 800 military doctors and 400 to 600 public health doctors (medical). Usually, the number of conscription candidates does not exceed the required number, but this year, due to the resignation of about 12,000 residents from training hospitals in protest against the government's increase in medical school admissions, it is estimated that about 4,000 conscription candidates have emerged, which is four times the number from the previous year.

Medical residents who have not yet fulfilled their military service defer enlistment on the condition that they are incorporated as officer candidate trainees before starting training and enlist after completing their training. However, if the majority of residents’ training is interrupted due to the conflict with the government and their resignation, they will have to enlist on the nearest enlistment date.

The Military Manpower Administration has been considering ways to determine the order of enlistment in anticipation of the unprecedented 'excess personnel' situation. Among various options, prioritizing those approaching the age of 33 was chosen because if they are pushed to a lower priority, they may become ineligible for enlistment. According to the current Enforcement Decree of the Military Service Act, the eligibility for officer candidate trainees is defined as ‘those who can complete the prescribed training course by the age of 33.’