Restoration and Leakage of Medical Practical Exam... Hundreds of Medical School Examinees Referred in Bulk

Medical students who leaked or received the practical exam questions in advance and took the medical licensing practical exam have been collectively referred to the prosecution.

On the 1st, the Gwangjin Police Station in Seoul announced that they had sent 448 medical school examinees from five medical schools in the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongbuk areas, including Gyeongsang National University, to prosecution without detention on charges of obstruction of official duties by deception.

According to the police, these individuals are suspected of sharing or receiving the medical practical exam questions and taking the exam from September 2023 to November 3 of the same year.

Among them, 24 representatives of the examinees from the five medical schools led the crime by conspiring to leak and share the practical exam questions. In particular, five examinee representatives met in Busan in August 2023 to discuss specific methods of execution.

The remaining 424 medical school examinees were investigated to have received the questions via Telegram and taken the exam. The police received a report around November 2023 from the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute, the organizer of the medical exam, and launched an investigation.

The medical practical exam is usually conducted sequentially with 60 to 70 people per day between August and November. Because of this, there have been several past incidents where examinees who took the exam earlier leaked questions to those taking it later. Due to this, the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute informs medical licensing exam candidates that leaking questions can result in civil and criminal penalties. Some voices suggest that this incident should serve as an opportunity to improve the national exam management system.

A police official stated, "To prevent the recurrence of cheating in the medical licensing exam that undermines the fairness of the national exam, we will notify the Ministry of Health and Welfare about the status of practical exam cheating and request the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute to take administrative actions against the examinees involved in the medical practical exam cheating."