Controversy erupts over alleged government hurdles for J-1 visas for Korean trainee doctors heading to US hospitals

After some doctors claimed that the government had not issued the Statement of Need for J-1 visas to those planning to train in U.S. hospitals, government officials said such claims were "factually incorrect."

However, the medical community appears suspicious, with some saying that the government is excessively infringing on individual rights.

On Wednesday, Lim Hyun-taek, who was recently elected to lead the Korean Medical Association (KMA), said on his social media post that the government intentionally did not issue overseas training applications for trainee doctors who needed to apply for U.S. training programs after they resigned.

On “USMLE Korea,” an online community of doctors preparing for the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), a text was posted calling for sending a petition to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and foreign media outlets to help the 20 or so prospective trainee doctors who have not been issued a letter of recommendation. The post also included a link to a petition requesting signatures from doctors practicing in the U.S.

In response, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said in a press release that it is reviewing the appropriateness of applications and issuing recommendations, adding that out of the 25 applications for 2024 so far, it has issued five by March 15 and is reviewing the remaining 20.

However, some in the medical community remained suspicious that the government is suddenly reviewing the application's eligibility, noting that the recommendation letter for overseas training has been a simple administrative procedure issued upon application unless there is a legal disqualification.

"Originally, it was just a part of the normal administrative procedure, and unless there was a legal reason for disqualification, it was issued upon application,” said a medical industry official who works in doctors’ overseas advance in a telephone interview with Korea Biomedical Review. “The Ministry of Welfare is reportedly reviewing the application's eligibility, but the criteria are unclear. This is equivalent to the government intimidating the public."

Commenting on the government's announcement on March 22 that it might restrict the issuance of overseas training recommendation letters for J-1 visas to resigning doctors, the official also said, "I feel that the government is incompetent to pursue policies that restrict people's rights and freedoms. If that's the case, they should consider making the most of medical professionals to promote national wealth, not restricting their freedom and abilities."

Doctors also criticized the government's abuse of power in online comments.

A doctor who moved to the United States after practicing medicine in Korea said, "It requires a lawsuit. Some might need to see if they can apply for asylum. The U.S. thinks the supply of trainee doctors is very important, and most matches are in primary care, where there is a shortage, such as internal medicine. So, there is a possibility that the U.S. officials will consider it very seriously (if there are suits or applications for asylum)."

Another physician practicing in the U.S. also criticized it, saying, "It is criminal to intentionally prevent visa issuance by refusing to issue official documents that should be issued to anyone who is not a criminal."

Critical comments on the government continued on USMLE Korea, where the petition was posted.

"A recommendation for overseas training is a request to train in the U.S. because there are not enough people trained in that field in the home country, and based on that, a J-1, a cultural exchange visa, is issued,” a posting said. "The prospective trainees will all train in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics and adolescence. The Korean government has been saying there is a shortage of essential medical care, so shouldn't they be allowed to train in the U.S.?"

According to another posting, after the controversy over the issuance of overseas training recommendation letters was reported, the Ministry of Health and Welfare contacted prospective trainees to issue overseas training recommendation letters.

"After the petition was published, I heard that the Health and Welfare Ministry contacted individual applicants to issue overseas training recommendations," said the writer of the original petition on Thursday. "If all matched applicants receive overseas training recommendations, I will discard the petition.