Lee Sang-joon, 21, who is taking the test for the third time, told AFP he was “so happy” when he learned about the reforms, which gave him fresh hope of pursuing a medical career. This year is his “final chance” to succeed, he said. “It was nearly impossible to go to medical school, the top 0.01 percent in the country could go in. Now it’s about 0.015 percent, which sounds like a chance to me”.
Thousands of trainee doctors and medical students stopped working in February in protest of the plans, which sharply increased the number of places available for trainee doctors. But the government has pressed ahead, even as a roughly nine-month work stoppage has hit hospitals across the country.
To minimise noise around the more than 1,200 test centres nationwide, traffic has been ordered to slow, with bus and taxi driver unions agreeing not to honk during test hours. Construction work near the schools will also be halted. During the crucial listening portion of the English test, the land ministry imposed a nationwide ban on all aircraft takeoffs and landings outside of emergency situations.
Businesses were asked to adjust opening hours to alleviate traffic congestion and ensure that students arrived on time for the test, which started at 8:40 am. Even the stock market will also open an hour later at 10:00 am.
Anxious parents wept while wishing their children good luck and police escorted test-takers who were running late into schools early Thursday.
Why would you protest this change? 0.015% is still insane and it takes nothing away from the ones who already made it.
I’m really glad I wasn’t born into one of the hypercompetitive asian education systems, but on the other hand, I’m not sure the degrading western education systems I was born in are better. A happy middle ground would be nice.
Or… OR… grow up with parents who emigrated from one of those hyper competitive Asian places and be a little bit broken. 🙃
Because they’re scared that more doctors will mean more competition and lower wages. They don’t care that access to healthcare is currently difficult in Korea because in part of the lack of doctors.
Why would you protest this change?
“it was hard for me and therefore everyone else has to suffer”
I assumed as much, but had hoped for a less disgusting reason.
well, it’s just my cynical guess, I don’t leave in South Korea nor am I familiar with their culture ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Much more likely to be because their wages will be less artificially inflated once the number of doctors increases. Its the same in Canada. We limit the number of seats, rather than admitting all those who qualify to be doctors, and we have need for.
Gotta love bringing everything into the market…
