Government: "Additional National Medical Exam Opportunity for Medical Students Difficult... Not an Agenda for the Medical-Government Consultative Body" (Update)

The Korean Medical Association demands a solution by the 28th... Government says "National consensus must come first"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] The government has stated that it is practically difficult to grant additional opportunities regarding the Korean Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE) issue raised by the Korea Medical Association (KMA), saying "national consensus must come first."

Son Young-rae, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said at a regular briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 28th, "There has been no change in our position that the issue of the medical licensing exam requires prior national consensus."

The Ministry of Health and Welfare held a working-level meeting with the KMA's Special Committee for the Pan-Medical Community Struggle the previous afternoon. During the meeting, they discussed the formation of a medical-government consultative body and the medical licensing exam issue, but only confirmed the differences in their positions. In response, the KMA stated, "If the government does not present a clear solution by today, we will consider drastic measures," adding, "If the medical student licensing exam issue is not resolved, there will be no formation of the medical-government consultative body."

Spokesperson Son said, "Yesterday, the KMA requested that the licensing exam issue be resolved before the medical-government consultative meeting, but from the government's standpoint, it is difficult to accept resolving the licensing exam issue as a precondition for forming the consultative body," adding, "Separately, we proposed to continue the consultative talks and plan to persuade for the prompt operation of the consultative body."

In particular, Son explained that the medical student licensing exam issue was not originally an agenda item for the consultative body. He said, "The agenda of the consultative body concerns the seven agreed-upon items already decided," adding, "These include the expansion of medical school quotas, establishment of public medical schools, and regional medical support measures, which were pre-discussed; the medical students' licensing exam issue is not an agenda item for the consultative body."

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