When Korea became a country of doctors

Imagine that, by 2050, Korea becomes a country of medical doctors.

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Even in a small town, you could find so many doctors’ clinics and sometimes even a hospital, as well. It all looks so convenient, but something is not quite right. Since well before the early 2020s, many Korean parents have wanted their children to become medical doctors, as the job market is unstable and highly constricted. In their eyes, doctors enjoy both a stable, high-income career and social prestige. There is also no retirement age for doctors, so they can open a clinic until their health declines from old age. It is no wonder, then, that sending their children to medical school has been fashionable among Korean parents for the past few decades.

However, this social phenomenon has created a plethora of problems. For example, to produce more doctors, there must be an increase in the number of medical school places. However, as we have seen from the Yoon administration’s futile attempts, it is by no means easy to do this. In addition, medical school fever has become a serious social problem in Korea, as all the high school students exclusively rush into medicine, ignoring a wide host of other fields and possibilities.