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| A statement by senior medical students canceling the license exam boycott |
By Kim Se-jeong
Senior medical students who have boycotted the national license exam said Thursday they will end the boycott, a move viewed by the medical community as appropriate after it had raised concern over a possible shortage of doctors next year amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"We express our intention to return to take the national licensing exam given that the nation is expected to suffer a shortage of doctors in the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic," a statement released by the students read.
Out of 3,172 qualified applicants, only 446, or 14 percent, actually applied for the exam.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare remained firm in saying the students were too late to take this year's exam.
The ministry has said accepting any late applications would be difficult, citing public opinion. On Cheong Wa Dae's website, a petition against accepting late applicants has drawn almost 570,000 supporters.
Doctors claimed the government should give them a chance, because otherwise, Korea may experience a shortage of doctors in 2021.
The licensing exam has already begun, but it's not too late for the applicants to take it, as practical skills tests will be conducted until Oct. 27, while the written exam isn't scheduled until January next year and applicants need to apply separately for that.
The boycott started in August, in opposition to a government plan to raise the quota of new doctors by 4,000 over the next 10 years. According to the plan, a new public medical school was to be opened as well. This drew a backlash from doctors who claimed only increasing their numbers would not improve the quality of medical services.
Licensed doctors waged a nationwide strike for weeks during which several people died due to the lack of medical care. The doctors finally returned to work after the government decided to scrap its plan.
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