Only 347 candidates took the practical examination for the state test for medical licenses last month to produce new doctors. This figure was 17 fewer than the 364 applicants who initially applied for the exam and only 10 percent of previous years on average.

According to data submitted to Rep. Kim Sun-min of the Rebuilding Korea Party by the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute, 347 candidates took practical tests for the 89th national doctor examination. The number is down about 90 percent from the 3,212 candidates who took the practical exam last year.

In protest of the government's policy to increase the medical school enrollment quotas, many medical students have submitted leaves of absence and refused to attend classes, making it impossible for them to take the exam.

The number of candidates who took the practical examination is lower than the 423 candidates who took the same examination in 2020 when the previous administration also tried to increase medical students but abandoned it. The former Moon Jae-in government granted additional examination opportunities through a protocol agreement, and more than 2,700 candidates took the additional practical exam in the first half of 2021.

“We are experiencing a situation where the number of doctors being produced is decreasing while trying to expand the number of doctors by force,” Rep. Kim said. “We need to take measures as soon as possible as the delay in producing doctors could lead to a shortage of public health doctors to deploy to medically vulnerable areas and essential medical personnel.”