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Gov't to allow medical students, residents who walked out to take next year's exams

Published: 29 Oct. 2025, 19:00

A lounge for medical residents is seen inside a university hospital in Seoul in August. [YONHAP]

The government will allow medical students and residents who returned to their training after a 19-month standoff to take next year’s residency and specialist exams. Medical students will also be given an additional opportunity to sit for the national licensing exam.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Wednesday its plan for the 2026 first-year residency recruitment, specialist qualification exams and national medical licensing exam.

Many medical students and residents resigned or took leaves of absence in February 2024 in protest of the government’s plan to increase the number of medical school students admitted per year and returned in September this year. Under the new measure, they will be able to obtain their medical licenses and specialist qualifications without further delay.

According to critics of the decision, this move grants undue privileges to those who walked out on patients. The ministry, however, stated that it had “considered input from training and education institutions, the need for appropriate medical work force management, training quality assurance and the fair and reasonable operation of the exam system.”

Normally, medical graduates who pass the national licensing exam become general practitioners. After completing one year of internship and three to four years of residency, they can take the specialist exam held every February to obtain certification.

Of roughly 2,000 residents set to complete training in 2026, about 1,300 — or two-thirds — will finish in August 2026. Under existing rules, they would be ineligible to take the February 2026 specialist exam or apply for residency recruitment that year, forcing them to wait until February 2027.

Medical staff are seen at a hostpial in Seoul on Sept. 1. [NEWS1]

To prevent a six-month employment gap, the ministry said it will allow them to take the February 2026 specialist exam and apply for related recruitment. Those who pass must complete their training by the end of August 2026; otherwise, their qualification will be revoked.

Interns scheduled to finish their programs by the end of August 2025 will also be permitted to apply early for the first half of next year’s residency recruitment. After passing, they must complete the remainder of their internship at their current hospital and begin residency training at their designated hospital in September.

The ministry stressed that the expanded eligibility “is conditional upon full completion of training,” adding that “those who fail to finish by the end of August will have their acceptance canceled.”

The government also plans to hold an additional national licensing exam next year for medical students graduating in August 2026. The ministry said the decision reflects recommendations from the council of medical university presidents and aims to maintain continuity between graduation, licensing and residency training while ensuring an adequate supply of medical professionals.

Medical staff are seen at a hostpial in Seoul on Sept. 1. [NEWS1]

About 1,500 students — roughly two-thirds of all final-year medical students — are expected to graduate in the second half of 2026. The supplementary national exam is expected to include a practical test in March or April 2026 and a written test in July 2026.

Critics say that this new measure could weaken trust in government policy, as those who returned earlier in good faith are now at a disadvantage, and send the wrong message: Collective action results in more favorable treatment.

“Thanks to the dedication of the few residents and medical staff who stayed and continued caring for patients, treatment for critical patients never stopped and hospitals maintained basic operations,” said Kim Sung-joo, the head of the Korea Severe Disease Association, on Wednesday. “Those who refused to return mocked their colleagues, spread personal information online and made fellow medical professionals targets of social attacks.”

Kim urged the government to “reward returning residents and interns with institutional recognition and priority support measures” and to “end unconditional leniency or special treatment for those who refused to return.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY RHEE ESTHER [[email protected]]