Korean Association of Public Health Doctors: 2,430 Medical Students Enlisted for Active Duty in First Half of Year... 592 in June Alone

Number of Medical Students Enlisting for Active Duty Reaches 3,967 Since Outbreak of Medical Conflict

In the first half of this year, 2,430 medical students enlisted for active military service. This figure is approximately 1.6 times higher than the 1,537 medical students who enlisted for active duty during the same period last year.

Korean Association of Public Health Doctors

The Korean Association of Public Health Doctors (Korean Association of Public Health Doctors) announced on the 11th that, according to information disclosed by the Military Manpower Administration, 592 medical students enlisted in June this year either as active-duty soldiers or as social service agents. Of these, 577 joined as active-duty soldiers and 15 as social service agents.

As a result, the total number of medical students who have enlisted as either active-duty soldiers or social service agents since the outbreak of the medical conflict in February last year has reached 3,967.

Currently, the Korean Association of Public Health Doctors is calling for the reduction of the public health doctor service period to 24 months. This is because more medical students are choosing to serve as active-duty soldiers for 18 months, rather than serving as public health doctors for 37 months including the training period.

Lee Sunghwan, president of the Korean Association of Public Health Doctors, stated, "By shortening the duration of military service and producing specialists earlier, we can effectively fill the one-year gap and ensure stable medical care in vulnerable areas such as the military and public health sectors."