Head of Kuksiwon and Chair of the Anti-Corruption Commission Visit, Warn of "Medical System Collapse"

"Decision on Whether to Hold This Year's Exam Must Be Finalized Next Week"

Chairman Jeon Hyun-hee of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission conversing with Lee Yoon-sung, President of the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute, at the Government Seoul Office on the 7th. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Lee Yoon-sung, president of the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute (KHPLEI), visited the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission on the 7th to urgently request a resolution to the issue of medical students taking the practical exam of the national medical licensing examination.

This follows medical school professors filing complaints on the 5th requesting a solution to the exam issue and visiting the Commission for two consecutive days, and now the head of the exam management institution has also made a visit.

President Lee met with Chairperson Jeon Hyun-hee at the Government Complex Seoul and stated, "If the additional national exam is not held this year, it is expected to cause a chain collapse of the medical system spanning several years, not just a one-year medical gap."

He added, "Next year, fourth-year medical students will take the exam together with the current third-year students, which could cause various problems in the medical workforce supply system," and requested, "Please use Solomon's wisdom to resolve the issue."

Lee explained, "If the additional practical exam is to be held this year, the decision must be finalized by next week at the latest due to scheduling, and registration must begin by the 20th to properly conduct the exam."

He also said, "With 2,700 no-shows needing to take the additional practical exam, it will take more than 30 days, and preparations such as selecting graders must be made, so the schedule is very tight from the KHPLEI's perspective."

In response, Chairperson Jeon said, "The national exam issue absolutely requires public consensus," and promised, "We will listen carefully to voices from all sectors and do our best to resolve the problem."

The practical exam for the national medical licensing examination began on October 8 and is being conducted in a distributed manner until November 20. Among the 3,172 candidates eligible this year, about 86% refused to take the exam in opposition to the expansion of medical school quotas.

The government maintains its position against allowing retakes, citing issues of fairness and public acceptance.

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