KMA: "Military Medical Officer Training Regulation Revision Must Be Withdrawn... Will Respond Firmly If Enforced"

The medical community has protested, urging the Ministry of National Defense to withdraw the amendment to the military medical officer regulations. The Korean Medical Association (KMA) argued that the amendment would worsen the supply of military medical personnel and undermine trust in the military medical system. They stated that if the policy is forcibly implemented, they will take a strong stance, including legal action.

원본보기 아이콘

On the 22nd, the KMA stated in a press release that the Ministry of National Defense’s administrative notice on the amendment to the "Regulations on the Selection and Enlistment of Medical and Veterinary Officers" is problematic. The KMA said, "It effectively deprives citizens of the right to choose the timing and form of fulfilling their military service obligations, constituting a serious infringement of basic rights and an abuse of state power." They added, "The concept of ‘non-selected active duty personnel,’ which is not defined in other laws, is temporarily introduced only in this regulation, seriously damaging the coherence of military service-related laws."

They continued, "Medical officer candidates are the only group not allowed to give up their officer status and enlist as regular soldiers, which already significantly infringes on individual rights under the constitutional principle of equality," and "The Ministry of National Defense is not improving these issues but rather attempting to further infringe on individual rights through this amendment."

This administrative notice introduces the concept of ‘non-selected active duty personnel’ for excess candidates among medical officer recruits, allowing the Ministry of National Defense to unilaterally determine the timing of medical officer selection. A Ministry of National Defense official previously explained the reason for pushing the amendment, saying, "In previous years, there was no situation where waiting lists for enlistment occurred, but due to the mass resignation of residents, a large excess has arisen." They added, "‘Non-selected active duty personnel’ includes not only supplementary service personnel but also ‘waiting enlistees’ who are not selected or classified as active duty or supplementary service. The Military Manpower Administration will select supplementary service personnel from this group and manage the waiting enlistees."

The medical officer selection system is designed to secure active-duty officers in medical fields that are difficult to train within the military by selecting and managing individuals undergoing designated training at training hospitals and appointing them as officers. According to Article 10 of the current regulations, medical officer candidates are classified as ‘active duty (military doctors)’ and ‘supplementary service (public health doctors, conscription examination doctors, specialized research personnel).’ The Ministry of National Defense first selects active duty personnel among candidates and classifies the excess as supplementary service.

The KMA also argued that this measure would exacerbate staffing shortages at training institutions and create a culture of active-duty enlistment among medical students. The KMA emphasized, "It will be difficult to receive training during the waiting period for enlistment, and the staffing shortages at training institutions will inevitably increase," adding, "Medical students who decide to enlist as active-duty soldiers while observing this waiting period will also increase sharply."

Concerns were also raised about medically underserved areas such as rural and fishing villages. The KMA criticized, "On the previous day (21st), the Military Manpower Administration announced the selection of 250 public health doctors for 2025, which is about one-third of the 904 selected in 2023," and "They have firmly decided to neglect rural healthcare by converting approximately 3,000 excess medical officer candidates, who could be classified as supplementary service, into ‘non-selected active duty personnel.’"

Furthermore, the KMA declared that they would respond strongly if the policy is enforced. The KMA stated, "The amendment seriously infringes on the rights of young doctors as citizens, damages the equality and fairness of the sacred military service obligation, disrupts the coherence and uniformity of laws, and makes resolving the current situation more difficult," adding, "It will worsen the supply of military medical personnel, destroy trust in military medical personnel policies, and ultimately shake the foundation of the military medical system."

They urged, "We strongly demand a complete halt to the amendment and the guarantee of citizens’ legitimate right to choose how to fulfill their military service obligations," and emphasized, "If such unilateral and unequal policy enforcement is forced, the KMA will take strong measures, including legal action."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.