KPHA: "Record 412 Medical Students Enlisted as Active-Duty Soldiers in March"

2025 Young Doctors Forum Held... About 1,000 Residents and Medical Students Participate
"The Number of Active-Duty Enlistments in March Alone Matches the Total for 2021-2023"

In March of this year, the number of medical students enlisting as active-duty soldiers reached an all-time high of 412 for a single month.

(From right) Lee Junseok, the reform New Party presidential candidate, Kim Taekwoo, president of the Korean Medical Association, and Park Dan, emergency response committee chairman of the Korean Intern Resident Association, are attending the 11th Young Doctors Forum held at COEX, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 17th. Photo by Yonhap News

Lee Sunghwan, president of the Korean Public Health Doctors Association (KPHA), announced this on May 17 at the 2025 Young Doctors Forum held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Lee stated, "It feels like just yesterday that I shared the news that about 1,900 students had enlisted as active-duty soldiers from last year until February of this year. However, according to data obtained just two days ago through a public information request, the March figure alone shows a record-breaking 412 medical students enlisting as active-duty soldiers in a single month."

He added, "The number of active-duty enlistments in March alone is comparable to the total number of active-duty enlistments for the three years from 2021 to 2023. Choosing 18 months of active-duty service over 37 months as a public health doctor is such a rational decision that even an elementary school student could understand it."

Lee predicted that the trend of medical students enlisting as active-duty soldiers would continue to spread. He said, "We expect an additional 4,700 medical students to enlist as active-duty soldiers this year. Therefore, there is a high possibility that our association will soon fade into history. Nevertheless, we will continue to strive for the preservation of the public health doctor system, which is highly relevant to our profession."

Park Dan, emergency response committee chairman of the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA), also stated in his opening remarks, "With the presidential election approaching, the crisis in the medical community has been pushed out of the public's focus, and the political world is chasing votes. Meanwhile, essential medical services and medical education are rapidly collapsing. If this situation continues any longer, the healthcare system could be damaged beyond repair."

He urged, "I call on all political parties and presidential candidates to recognize the reality of Korea's healthcare system, as revealed by the past 15 months of medical service disruption, and to offer continuous attention and solutions."

Kim Taekwoo, president of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), said in his congratulatory remarks, "The KMA is actively communicating with each presidential candidate to ensure that the essence of national health and healthcare is not undermined. We will work to persuade each candidate's camp so that misguided policies, such as the unilaterally implemented increase in medical school quotas and the essential medical package, are not repeated."

Lee Junseok, the reform New Party candidate and the only presidential candidate to attend the forum, said, "In addition to the fact that the person who discussed various alternatives regarding healthcare has stepped down from the presidency, there is now a situation where he has also severed ties with his own party. Although Yoon Sukyeol is gone, I believe that what he has left behind will trouble us for a long time."

Mentioning that his younger sibling is also a doctor, he declared, "I am firmly opposed to increasing the medical school quota and believe it absolutely should not be expanded." He pledged to improve the healthcare system by making medical service fees more realistic, introducing regional differential fees, and reforming the structure of public hospitals.

Meanwhile, the forum was co-hosted by the KIRA, the Korean Medical Students Association (KMSA), and the KPHA. According to the organizers, about 1,000 participants, including residents and medical students, attended the forum.