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61% of resigned medical trainees take up general practice ahead of recruitment deadline

Published: 26 May. 2025, 17:29

A student walks across a medical school campus in downtown Seoul on May 9. [NEWS1]

As the deadline approaches for the additional May recruitment of medical residents who previously resigned from university hospitals, data shows that six out of 10 residents who have left their training have since been employed as general practitioners.

A total of 5,399 out of 8,791 residents, or 61.4 percent, who either resigned or declined their appointments at training hospitals are now working as general physicians, according to data received from the Ministry of Health and Welfare by Rep. Kim Sun-min of the Rebuilding Korea Party, who sits on the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee.

A general physician is a licensed doctor who has passed the national medical licensing exam but has not completed residency training. To become a specialist, a general physician must undergo intern and resident training in a specific department and then pass the specialist certification exam.

Among the reemployed residents, 3,258, or 60.3 percent, found jobs at clinic-level medical institutions. Of these, 194 — about one-third — are working in Seoul.

When including 226 in Incheon and 901 in the Gyeonggi area, 68 percent of the reemployed residents are working in the greater Seoul metropolitan area.

Only 117 former residents, or 2.2 percent, have been reemployed at tertiary hospitals. An additional 1,312 found work at general hospitals, and 712 at standard hospitals.

People walk into a medical school in downtown Seoul on May 25. [YONHAP]

Meanwhile, 3,392 former residents remain outside of medical institutions.

Hospitals currently conducting additional recruitment of former residents plan to close applications around May 27 and announce successful applicants by the end of the month.

Despite the imminent deadline, most former residents have not expressed willingness to return and appear to be waiting and observing the situation.

Those who do return through this recruitment round will be eligible to take the specialist exam in February next year and then required to undergo three additional months of training to become certified specialists.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]