"Medical Students Refusing National Exam? They Must Take Responsibility Themselves"

Democratic Party Lawmaker Kim Sung-joo: "Difficult to Propose Remedies While Maintaining System Consistency and Fairness"

Kim Seong-ju, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is seen giving a proposal explanation at the National Assembly plenary session on the afternoon of the 4th of last month.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Kim Seong-ju, the ruling party secretary of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, mentioned on the 8th the medical students' refusal to take the national medical licensing exam, stating, "As the government must maintain consistency and fairness in the system, it is now difficult to come up with any more relief measures."

On the same day, Kim appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare extended the re-registration period for the exam by two days and also sufficiently extended the exam period until November 20."

Regarding some criticisms that persuasion with the Korean Medical Association (KMA) is necessary, he said, "Medical students are now adults and can express dissatisfaction with government policies in various ways, but they must take responsibility for their actions."

Earlier, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the attendance rate for the 2021 national medical licensing practical exam, which started on the 8th, was 14%.

Son Young-rae, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said at a regular briefing on the 7th, "Currently, out of 3,172 eligible candidates for the medical licensing exam, 446 are scheduled to take it, which is 14%," and added, "The exam will proceed as originally scheduled from the 8th."

Regarding this, Rep. Kim said, "According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, they individually contacted students who canceled their attendance by phone or text to confirm their intentions," and added, "The KMA, residents, or professors should have persuaded the students. It was negligence in persuasion, not that the period was too short."

On the 8th, when the residents who had continued their collective strike began returning to work, Kim Jung-yeop, President of the Seoul National University Hospital Residents' Council (Vice Chairman of the Daehyeon Emergency Committee), was seen entering the main building at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Regarding the medical community's demand to withdraw the government's four major medical policies, including the establishment of public medical schools, he said, "The policy to establish public medical schools has been prepared, discussed, and decided over more than ten years," and added, "It has already been promoted for ten years, is implemented in other countries, and after long research and discussion, it was decided. No government can accept demands to withdraw or nullify such a policy."

Rep. Kim also argued that the phrase "re-discussion from the starting point" expressed in the agreement with the KMA does not mean withdrawal.

He explained, "It means re-discussing from the starting point focusing on the bill," and added, "If there are problems, we can submit amendment proposals focusing on the bill's content, supplement it, reach mutual agreement, and pass it."

He continued, "So far, the voices of the medical community have been sufficiently conveyed to the public, and it is a matter for the public and the National Assembly to judge," and added, "For now, the policy cannot be continuously changed, and we will monitor the situation and consider consulting with the government on other methods."

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