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Representatives from the medical community and the government attend the third consultative meeting on medical training at Dalgaebi in Jung District, Seoul, on August 7. / Source: Yonhap News

At the third medical training consultative meeting on August 7, the government presented measures such as allowing military service deferments to ensure continuity for trainee doctors returning to residency programs. The move comes amid concerns over a severe shortfall in medical personnel, with recent recruitment for first-year residents falling far below capacity.

Kim Guk-il, director of the Health and Medical Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said after the meeting that for those rejoining residency this term, “we will coordinate with relevant ministries so they can complete their training before enlistment.” Many former residents who resigned last year hold the status of medical officer candidates and are subject to conscription as military or public health doctors. They had demanded deferrals until the end of their training.

The ministry added that even military officer candidates returning through the second-half intake will be allowed to finish residency before serving. Applications for hospital-specific recruitment will open on August 11, with interviews and selection completed by the end of the month.

Despite the policy shift, recent participation rates remain low. Only 923 people registered for the written exam for 2025 second-half first-year residents on August 4–5—about 30% of the 3,594 available spots. In the first half of this year, 314 applied and 181 were selected. The lack of a clear continuity guarantee during the exam registration period and the option for some ex-residents to return without testing may have contributed to the low turnout.

Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong expressed hope that “many trainee doctors will return through this second-half recruitment and continue their training.”