Amid continued chaos in the medical field, with residents submitting resignation letters in droves in opposition to the government’s policy to expand medical school admissions, foreign media paid attention to the craze for medical school admissions in Korea.
On the 19th (local time), in an article titled ‘Korea’s top students invest in medical school rather than semiconductors’, the U.S. Bloomberg News pointed out that students prefer medical school over engineering school, where employment is certain.
Bloomberg said, “With the government’s plan to significantly increase the number of medical school students, more top-ranked students are enrolling in exam preparation courses to become doctors rather than a clear career path of becoming a semiconductor engineer,” and added, “Top-ranked students who are guaranteed employment at large corporations such as Samsung Electronics or SK Hynix. “There are many people who refuse admission to Kwon Engineering College and are attracted to the higher job stability and income of a doctor,” he said.
Citing the Seoul National University website, it was reported that 26% of the successful applicants to the Seoul National University Department of Computer Engineering this year were unregistered, but none of the successful applicants to the Seoul National University Medical School were unregistered.
According to the status of regular non-registration rates in top science and engineering departments for the 2024 school year analyzed by Jongno Academy on the 20th, as a result of regular recruitment for Yonsei University’s Department of System and Semiconductor Engineering, a contract department for Samsung Electronics, the rate of registration waivers compared to the number of recruits was calculated to be 220% (55 out of 25 students). . It increased significantly compared to last year (130%).
The non-enrollment rate in Korea University’s Department of Next Generation Communication, a contract department for Samsung Electronics, is 140%, an increase from last year (50%). The non-registration rate in the semiconductor engineering department, a contract department of SK Hynix, was 100%, an increase from last year (63.6%). The non-registration rate in Smart Mobility, a contract department of Hyundai Motor Company, was 105%, higher than last year (50%).
Bloomberg pointed out that there has been little change in the number of medical schools in Korea over the past 20 years and that the number of doctors relative to the population in Korea is lower than in other member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). At the same time, he explained that as of 2021, the average annual gross income of Korean doctors in private practice is 6.8 times that of general workers, the highest among OECD countries.
France’s AFP news agency also reported, “Korea is one of the developed countries with a small number of doctors relative to its population,” and added, “The government is pushing to increase the number of doctors, in part, to cope with a rapidly aging society.”
He continued, “Doctors claim that the quality of service provision will be affected by this plan,” and “It is also pointed out that doctors are concerned that their salaries and social status will drop.”
Hyewon Lee, Donga.com
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.