An analysis conducted by Democratic Party lawmaker, Kang Deuk-gu, revealed that high school students from Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon comprised 57% of successful applicants in regular medical school recruitment. Kang analyzed data submitted by the Ministry of Education regarding the results of the selection of new medical students for regular admissions nationwide from 2020 to 2023. He pointed out that only 6.7% of successful applicants were high school seniors from provincial areas, excluding the metropolitan region. N students also showed a strong presence, with 79.8% of successful applicants in 2023 being N students. Kang expressed concern over the government’s neglect of the regional gap and parents’ economic power in promoting education reform for future society.
An analysis showed that 4 out of 10 students who passed the regular medical school graduated from a high school in Seoul. Including Gyeonggi and Incheon, 57% of those who passed the medical school on a regular basis were from high schools in the metropolitan area.
Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Deuk-gu, a member of the National Assembly Education Committee, said on the 23rd that this was the result of analyzing the data submitted by the Ministry of Education on the ‘2020-2023 national regular recruitment medical school freshman selection results’ data requested by the policy research group ‘Education Lab Public Factory’. Rep. Kang’s explanation is that this is the first case in which the successful applicants of the regular medical school recruitment, which selects the top group through the scholastic ability test, are analyzed with official government data.
As a result of the analysis, in the regular recruitment of medical school, students from high schools in the metropolitan area showed a strong strength.
Among the students who passed the regular medical school examinations over the past four years, those from high schools in Seoul accounted for the most with an average of 36.7%. Among the students who passed the regular medical school in 2023, the highest number was 460, or 36.3%, from Seoul high school. ▲ Gyeonggi 242 (19.1%) ▲ Jeonbuk 92 (7.3%) ▲ Busan 89 (7.0%) ▲ Daegu 88 (6.9%) ▲ Daejeon 45 (3.6%) ▲ Gwangju 44 (3.5%) ▲ Gyeongnam 43 (3.4%) ▲ Chungnam 41 (3.2%) ▲ Ulsan 34 (2.7%) ▲ Jeonnam 16 (1.3%) ▲ Gyeongbuk 16 (1.3%) ▲ Incheon 13 (1.0%) ▲ Chungbuk 12 people (0.9%) ▲ Jeju 9 (0.7%) ▲ Gangwon 7 (0.6%) ▲ Sejong 4 (0.3%). Successful applicants from high schools in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province account for 56.8% of the total successful applicants.
When comparing only high school seniors among those who passed medical school on a regular basis, only 6.7% of those who passed high school in provincial areas, excluding those in the metropolitan area, averaged 6.7% over a four-year period. In the regular recruitment of medical school in the 2023 academic year, not a single high school student in Incheon and North Chungcheong Province passed.
The results of this analysis also revealed the strength of N aquatic life.
Of the 1,267 students who passed the regular medical school in 2023, 903, or 79.8%, were N students, and 329, or 26.0%, were high school seniors (others 1.3%, 17 students). Among the N students, 142 (11.2%) of the students passed the medical school after trying at least four times. For the past four years, the average rate of N students among those admitted to medical school was 77.5%.
Rep. Kang said, “Currently, with the revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Promotion of Local Universities and Local Talents, the ratio of local talent selection in the medical field has become mandatory, but it has been revealed that more students from the Seoul area are getting accepted into medical schools in regular recruitment.” It was pointed out that only 2.7% of the provincial pass rate increased in the 2023 school year compared to the school year.”
Rep. Kang said, “The large number of successful applicants from high schools in Seoul seems to be due to the influence of private education and the social and economic background that allows more than a second attempt.” It is unreasonable to ask for it and needs to be reexamined.”
Rep. Kang said, “I am concerned about how the government will promote education reform for the future society while neglecting the gap between regions and the economic power of parents.” We need to take special measures,” he said.
The analysis of the selection results for new medical students in regular admissions has shed light on the imbalance in the geographic distribution of successful candidates. The concentration of high school graduates from Seoul and the metropolitan area has become increasingly apparent, with the majority of successful applicants consistently hailing from the region. While this may be attributed to the benefits of private education and economic advantages, it has been revealed that provincial students face a significantly lower chance of being admitted. This calls for a reevaluation of existing selection processes and the need for special measures to bridge the gap between regions and socio-economic backgrounds for a more equitable distribution of opportunities in the education sector.