Only 285 Candidates Took the Medical Licensing Written Exam... About 9% of Last Year's Level

"Urgent Measures Needed to Address the Halt in Resident Doctor Supply"

This year, the number of candidates taking the medical licensing examination (Kuksi) written test was found to be less than 10% of last year's figure.

The Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute. Photo by Yonhap News

According to data received by Kim Seon-min, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the Innovation Party, from the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute, 285 candidates took the 89th medical licensing written exam held on the 9th and 10th of this month. Even if all candidates who took the written test pass the practical exam, only 285 new doctors will be certified this year.

Previously, 347 candidates took the 89th practical exam held in September last year, and among the successful candidates, 304 registered for the written exam. Due to cancellations and no-shows, the actual number of candidates was even lower.

This year's written exam candidates represent only 9.1% of the 3,133 candidates who took the 88th exam in January last year. This is because, following the government's announcement in February last year to increase medical school admissions, most medical students chose to take a leave of absence, significantly reducing the number of students eligible to take the licensing exam.

If medical school classes had proceeded normally, approximately 3,000 fourth-year medical students from last year, along with previous exam failures and foreign medical school graduates, totaling about 3,200 candidates, would have been eligible to take the exam.

The government plans to recruit interns at training hospitals from the final successful candidates of the written exam on the 3rd and 4th of next month, but the number of applicants is expected to be low due to the limited number of eligible candidates.