Medical Students' Group: "Only 159 Clinical Year Students Applied for National Exam... A Disrupted Outcome from the Ministry of Education"

The Korean Medical School and Graduate School of Medicine Student Association (KMSA) issued a statement on the afternoon of the 29th, condemning the government by saying, "The fact that 96% of fourth-year medical students did not register for the national medical licensing examination is a result of the Ministry of Education's disruption of medical education."

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According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the total number of applicants for the national medical licensing practical exam, which closed at 6 p.m. on the 26th, was 364. This number includes not only fourth-year students expected to graduate but also those who failed the exam last year and graduates of overseas medical schools.

KMSA stated, "It was revealed that only 159 of the actual fourth-year medical students submitted applications," adding, "The Ministry of Education has failed to resolve any of the anticipated issues and continues to repeat measures that worsen the disruption of medical education under the guise of 'advancing medical education'."

They continued, "The government repeatedly asks us to 'trust' them but neither listens to the students' voices nor presents practical measures," and added, "While the Ministry of Education refuses to approve leaves of absence, as the end of the semester approached, they arbitrarily created an I (Incomplete) grade to mask F grades, thereby manipulating the system to prevent students who did not receive education from being forcibly held back."

KMSA also pointed out the Ministry of Education's lack of understanding of medical education. They explained, "Medical students must attend nine hours of classes daily to complete 26 to 30 required major credits per semester," and added, "Nevertheless, the plan to have students take both the first and second semesters of medical courses simultaneously shows a serious misunderstanding of medical education."

They raised their voices, urging not to distort medical education as a matter of administrative processing any longer. They said, "It is only natural that students who have not completed a normal academic schedule cannot take the national exam for medical licensing," and stated, "We strongly condemn the government's behavior of ignoring the legitimate voices and choices of medical students calling for the normalization of healthcare, showing no understanding of medical education, and shirking responsibility for the academic disruption."

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