Second Half Resident Recruitment Notice Expected Next Weekend... First-Year Resident Written Exam on August 16

Discussion on the Return of Resigned Residents at the Second Residency Training Council Meeting
Approximately Ten-Day Training Gap in February Last Year to Be Recognized

As discussions to facilitate the return of resident doctors who left hospitals in February last year have become more active, the government has decided to finalize an agreement on specific eligibility requirements by next week. First-year resident applicants will take the written exam on August 16.

On the 25th, Lee Hyunghun, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare (left), and Han Sungjon, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the Korean Intern Resident Association (Daejeonhyeop), attended the first meeting of the training council held at the Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

On July 31, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held the second meeting of the Residency Training Council at Dalgaebi in Jung-gu, Seoul, to discuss improvements to the training environment for residents and measures for their return. Attendees included Kim Gukil, Director of Healthcare Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare; Bang Youngsik, Director of Medical Workforce Policy; Yoo Heechul, Chair of the Residency Training Environment Evaluation Committee; Kim Wonseop, President of the Korean Association of Training Hospitals; Park Jungshin, Vice President of the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences; Han Sungjon, Emergency Response Committee Chair of the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA); and Kim Donggeon, a member of the Emergency Response Committee.

The Ministry discussed measures to guarantee continuity of training, which have been requested by KIRA, including eligibility requirements for the recruitment of residents in the second half of the year. However, it was reported that no concrete conclusions were reached. Nevertheless, since the start of the second half of the training period in September is approaching, the Ministry plans to complete discussions by next week and promptly announce the recruitment of new residents.

It was agreed that the written exam for first-year residents in the second half recruitment will be held on August 16. Eligible candidates are those who have completed or are expected to complete their internship, have not previously applied for or have failed to secure a first-year resident position before the 2025 second half recruitment, or those who resigned (or declined appointment) in 2024 and wish to apply to a training hospital (institution) where they did not pass in 2024, or wish to apply for a different specialty.

At the meeting, there was also consensus to recognize the approximately ten-day training gap that occurred because residents who resigned on February 19-20 last year were unable to complete their training period, which was scheduled to end at the end of February.

Kim Gukil, Director of Healthcare Policy, explained, "If residents return in the second half of this year, we plan to take into consideration the roughly ten-day gap in training. Most participants agreed that it can be recognized as sufficient training."

The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to hold the third meeting of the Residency Training Council on August 7 to finalize discussions on the eligibility requirements for the return of residents. Director Kim said, "Given the timeline, we must reach a conclusion in some form next week. The announcement for the second half recruitment is planned for the weekend after the third meeting or early the following week. We will continue to communicate to ensure that the normalization of the healthcare system meets public expectations."

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