Medical Association and Residents Demand Relief for Medical Students Despite Strike Notice (Comprehensive)

On the 7th, as the return of residents to medical sites was delayed, a patient was being transferred to the Emergency Medical Center at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The Korean Medical Association (KMA) and the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) have announced that they will end their collective strike and return to medical practice, while urging the establishment of relief measures for medical students who refused to take the practical exam of the medical licensing examination.

On the afternoon of the 7th, Park Ji-hyun, Chairperson of the Emergency Response Committee of KIRA, stated at a meeting held for all residents, "Considering various circumstances, we will lower the collective action to Level 1 starting from 7 a.m. on Tuesday, the 8th." Level 1 collective action means that all residents will return to work while maintaining emergency committees at each hospital.

However, KIRA warned that if the medical students who are currently refusing to take the licensing exam are not granted relief, the level of collective action could be intensified. Chairperson Park said, "Protecting medical students is a given premise," adding, "If the students are not allowed to retake the exam within two weeks or if the exam is not postponed as they wish, we will strengthen our collective action." This means that if additional relief measures for medical students are not proposed, they will escalate their protest actions, including work stoppages.

The KMA, which ended the collective strike on the 4th through negotiations with the government and ruling party, also urged the government to prepare relief measures for medical students who did not take the practical exam of the medical licensing examination.

In a statement issued that day, the KMA warned, "Grant additional opportunities to retake the licensing exam to the medical students who made legitimate protests," and added, "We will use all possible means to ensure that they can take the exam normally."

Earlier, the Korean Medical Students Association (KMSA) unanimously passed a resolution to refuse the practical exam of the medical licensing examination at a meeting of representatives from 40 medical schools nationwide the previous day. Accordingly, only 446 out of 3,172 eligible candidates, accounting for 14%, expressed their intention to take the exam.

The government reiterated on the morning of the same day that it would proceed with the practical exam of the medical licensing examination as scheduled. Son Young-rae, Head of Strategic Planning at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated, "We have repeatedly informed that medical students who did not reapply will find it difficult to take this year's practical exam," adding, "We are not considering extending the reapplication period or accepting additional applications."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.