‘Government will never delay state medical exam for students boycotting class’

On Wednesday, the government ruled out postponing the state medical examination for students who refused to attend classes.

In dealing with trainee doctors who resigned, it also will differentiate those who returned to the job and those who did not, a top official said.

"Postponing the state medical exam is unthinkable. Indeed, most students are not attending classes. However, according to the regulations, students who can graduate in six months are qualified to take the exam,” Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Park Min-soo said at a daily briefing. "Graduation is still much further away than six months."

Park continued, "Some medical students, albeit a very small number, are preparing for the state medical exam, including those who failed last year, and their interests must be protected. To protect their trust, the exam will be held as scheduled.”

Vice Minister Park noted that the government did not postpone the state medical exam in 2020 due to a similar situation.

“We pushed ahead with the scheduled state exam and rescued some through additional exams,” Park said. "We cannot say yet whether we will do the same this time."

Asked about incentives for trainee doctors who have not returned to school, Park said that disciplining junior doctors who unlawfully left their hospitals will be different between those who returned and those who did not.

"Since (the current collective resignation) is an illegal departure of trainee doctors, they should return as soon as possible. Because it is unlawful, they should be held responsible, including disciplines. Still, there will be a clear difference between those who return and those who do not," Park said.

He acknowledged the government has yet to decide on specifics.

"We are still reviewing how we will do this internally, but the principle is clear," he said. "If they leave for more than three months, they will not be able to fulfill the training period, and it will be difficult to meet the set (training) period even if they receive additional training. However, if they return to work soon, we will further consider penalizing them in such cases."

Reiterating the government’s principle, Park said, "It is difficult to explain in detail because we do not have a specific policy on what and how we will do at this time, but we will minimize the disadvantage to individuals if they return to work quickly."