Foreign Medical School Graduates Required to Take Exams to Practice in Korea

Starting in September, those intending to practice in Korea after graduating from foreign dental or medical schools and who have attained doctor’s licenses are required to take preliminary qualification exams before applying for government-administered tests.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on August 2 that it plans to carry out the first preliminary exam starting in September on the declaration of the medical law enforcement decree currently submitted in the cabinet council.

This aims to complement the current government-administered medical exam with which the skills of foreign dental and medical school graduates cannot be tested as there are no performance-based assessments. At present, the enrollment ratio of dental school graduates from the Philippines and Paraguay has almost risen to a high 30 percent of the number of domestic dentist school graduates.

The first preliminary exam is a written test which assesses medical basics and Korean language proficiency, and the second is a performance exam which evaluates treatment capabilities. The first test is valid for two years, and those who have attended up to secondary schools in Korea need not take the Korean language exam as long as he/she presents the graduation certificate.

The cut-off line is 60 out of 100 points, and a minimum of 40 points are required in each course to pass the exam. More than 40 doctors and 200 dentists are expected to apply for this year’s preliminary exam.

Hee-Kyung Kim susanna@donga.com