4th Year Medical Students "Postpone Collective Action"... Government Deeply Contemplates Medical Students' Relief (Comprehensive Report 2)

Medical Students Practically 'Taking the National Medical Exam'... Ministry of Health "Welcomes but Maintains Original Stance on No Retake"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] The nationwide collective action by fourth-year medical students opposing government policies has been temporarily suspended, bringing the medical community's general strike to a resolution phase. The government has expressed a welcoming stance toward the students' decision to suspend collective action but maintains its position that additional relief measures, such as retaking the national medical licensing exam, are difficult to implement. This is due to strong public opposition to the medical students who refused to take the exam, as well as concerns about fairness and equity. However, with 86% of this year's examinees not taking the exam, if these students are held back for a year, it will immediately disrupt the supply of medical personnel, including public health doctors and military medical officers, placing the government in a difficult dilemma.

Representatives of fourth-year students taking the national medical licensing exam from 40 medical schools and medical graduate schools nationwide issued a joint statement on the 13th, announcing the temporary suspension of their collective action opposing government policies. They stated, "We will announce our future course of action after further discussion," and took an ambiguous stance on taking the exam by saying, "We will not make additional comments beyond the term 'suspension' of collective action or the statement."

They emphasized, "It was clear that policies hastily pushed forward without consulting medical experts would ultimately lead to a decline in the quality of medical care and threaten the public's right to health," and "Our resolve to uphold 'right values and proper medical care,' the reason we first engaged in collective action, remains unchanged." They also said, "We will watch with senior doctors to see if the government reexamines the relevant legislation and implements medical policies for the public," adding, "If the government and National Assembly forcibly implement flawed medical policies, we will once again engage in collective action."

◆ Suspension of collective action means taking the exam? Ambiguous stance = In the medical community, since fourth-year students had used refusal to take the national medical licensing exam as a form of collective action, the suspension of collective action is interpreted as implying withdrawal of exam refusal and participation. The Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) Emergency Committee also expressed support for the medical students' decision in a statement that day. The KIRA Emergency Committee said, "We are infinitely grateful that the student doctors temporarily suspended collective action and returned to their positions, actively supporting the Emergency Committee and its future plans."

The change in medical students' collective action was triggered by a vote by the Seoul National University College of Medicine Student Council on the 9th. Among 884 enrolled students, 70.5% opposed continuing collective actions such as strike leave and refusal to take the exam. Among fourth-year students who must take the exam immediately, opposition was even higher at 81%.

The Korean Medical Students Association (KMSA), representing medical students, decided on the 6th to maintain refusal to take the national medical licensing exam, but as similar movements arose at other universities, an emergency meeting was held on the 9th to continue discussions on future collective directions. At this meeting, voices calling for withdrawal of exam refusal centered on fourth-year students emerged, but some medical students from other universities maintained their refusal stance, preventing a unified voice.

As internal disagreements prevented students from making a decision, professors concerned about collective grade retention voiced their opinions. On the 10th, the Korean Association of Medical School Professors (KAMSP) issued a statement requesting the government to provide an exit for students. KAMSP warned, "The problems caused by the failure to properly conduct the national exam are significant both short- and long-term, and the government is responsible for all these issues," adding, "According to the medical-government agreement, the government must conduct a proper additional exam."

However, even if medical students want to take the exam, the overwhelming public opposition makes the feasibility uncertain. On the Blue House's public petition board, a post titled "Opposing further relief for medical students who canceled their exam registration" has garnered over 550,000 signatures as of 3 p.m. that day.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Heated debate over relief for medical students = The political debate over relief for medical students is also intense. On the 12th, Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stated that relief for medical students refusing to take the national medical licensing exam should not be allowed in principle. In a Facebook post, he said, "Demanding rights and opportunities that were given up as a means of struggle to protect interests is an unfair special privilege," and added, "It sends a wrong signal that if you have power, you can violate laws and common sense to receive special treatment and exceptions, effectively allowing privileged classes prohibited by the Constitution." He emphasized, "Even when exceptions are unavoidably allowed considering students, it should be limited to cases where sufficient reflection and apology make it acceptable to public sentiment, and under no circumstances should one yield to struggle and pressure."

Following demands for relief from the Korean Medical Association, resident doctors, and even medical professors, and with medical students deciding to suspend collective action, the government is inevitably facing a difficult dilemma. While the government welcomed the students' decision to suspend collective action, it drew a line by saying that additional relief measures remain "the same as the existing position."

On the 13th, Son Young-rae, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Welfare, responded to a question at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters regular briefing about whether there are plans to allow medical students to retake the exam, saying, "The government's position remains the same as previously stated." When asked for specific explanations, Son said, "To avoid misunderstandings, the answer remains as the government has already stated." He added, "The government welcomes the fourth-year students' decision to temporarily suspend collective action," and said, "The Korean Medical Association and the government, along with the National Assembly, will discuss this matter sincerely, and we again request that students return to their academic sites and focus on their studies."

So far, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has maintained that "since the national exam is taken by many professions and qualifications, additional registration would violate fairness and equity toward others," making it difficult to allow. They also explained that proposing relief measures without the students explicitly expressing their intention to take the exam is unreasonable.

On the same day, a ruling party official said, "There is strong public opposition to medical students who refused the exam, so even if they say they will take the exam, it is uncertain whether relief will be possible," adding, "There is no concrete discussion or movement on this issue within the political circles yet."

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