The number of military doctors set to be commissioned this year has dropped by half compared to last year, a decline attributed to the doctor-government conflict triggered by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's medical school enrollment expansion attempt and shortened service terms for enlisted soldiers.
According to data obtained from the Ministry of National Defense by Rep. Yoo Yong-won of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, 304 military doctors are scheduled to be commissioned this year based on training center enlistment figures. This represents a 56 percent plunge from the 692 commissioned last year. Given that 745 military doctors commissioned in 2023 will complete their service this year, the total number of military doctors is expected to shrink by approximately 400.
The ranks of public health doctors, an alternative military service track for physicians, have also plummeted. The number of public health doctor assignments fell from 1,114 in 2023 to 743 last year. These doctors serve as a pillar of public healthcare in medically underserved areas including rural and island communities.
The decline in medical personnel stems from a surge in medical students enlisting as active-duty soldiers. The number of medical students entering active-duty service skyrocketed roughly 20-fold, from just 150 in 2020 to 2,895 last year.
"This shows medical students prefer the relatively shorter active-duty service of 18 months over the 36-month term required of military doctors," Rep. Yoo said. "Rather than a temporary spike caused by the doctor-government conflict, this appears to be a structural shift driven by the doubled service period difference combined with increased monthly pay for enlisted soldiers."
According to Rep. Yoo's office, the Ministry of National Defense plans to reorganize its medical system by reducing military doctors at battalion-level units and centralizing healthcare around higher-level formations such as brigades and divisions should military medical personnel shortages occur.
"Shorter service terms and higher pay for enlisted soldiers are desirable policies, but side effects have emerged, including difficulties in securing key personnel such as non-commissioned officers, officers, and military doctors," Rep. Yoo stressed. "The government must swiftly prepare comprehensive measures, including legislation to improve treatment of military officers and adjust service periods."
In a survey conducted last year by the Korean Association of Public Health Doctors, 97.9 percent of the 1,553 medical student respondents cited "longer service periods than enlisted soldiers" as the reason they do not wish to serve as military doctors or public health doctors. When asked about their willingness to apply if service terms were shortened, 19.4 percent said they would apply if the term were reduced to 30 months, 62.9 percent at 26 months, and 94.7 percent at 24 months, showing that willingness to serve rises sharply as the service period decreases.