Kuksiwon Director: "If Medical Students Express Intent to Take the Medical Licensing Exam, Relief Measures Will Be Prepared"

The Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on the 8th, the practical exam day of the 85th Medical Licensing Examination. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute, the organization managing the medical licensing examination, has stated that medical students have expressed their intention to take the exam and that the government should prepare relief measures.

On the 8th, Lee Yoon-sung, President of the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute, said, "I believe there should be relief measures for medical students," adding, "However, the prerequisite is that the examinees must express their intention to take the exam." He further stated, "If medical students express their intention to take the exam and the Ministry of Health and Welfare instructs them to take it, the institute can prepare and arrange the exam anew."

The practical exam for the 85th Medical Licensing Examination of 2021 began on the 8th, but medical students have collectively refused to take the exam in protest against major healthcare policies such as the expansion of medical school quotas. Among the 3,172 eligible candidates, only 446, or 14%, have expressed their intention to take the exam. This is the smallest scale in the history of the practical exam.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare previously postponed the practical exam by one week to the 8th, just one day before the exam was scheduled to start on the 31st of last month, and has stated that there will be no further extensions.

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