As admission to Korean medical schools grows tougher, more families look abroad for a more attainable path to a medical career A doctor walks in a hospital in Seoul on May 20 (Im Se-jun/ The Korea Herald) As competition for admission to South Korea’s elite medical schools intensifies, more parents are looking overseas for an alternative path to help their children become doctors.According to overseas study agencies, interest in so-called “medical study abroad” programs has surged, especially in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district, where parents have long invested heavily in private education in hopes of securing admission to top universities.But domestic medical schools accept only a fraction of applicants, pushing many families to consider overseas programs as an alternative, particularly in countries such as Hungary, Australia, Britain and Japan.Online parenting communities and study-abroad forums are filled with informational posts on how to send children overseas to pursue medical degrees.One widely shared post described a parent who began considering foreign medical schools after concluding that their middle school-aged daughter might struggle to gain admission to Korea’s elite universities despite years of expensive private tutoring.The post said the parent became interested in overseas medical education after hearing about a resident doctor in Korea who had graduated from the National University of Mongolia’s medical school.Forum users frequently compared Korea’s fiercely competitive admissions system with some overseas programs that accept students with relatively lower high school grades.The number of graduates from foreign medical schools seeking Korean medical licenses has risen sharply. According to the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute, 282 people took Korea’s preliminary medical licensing exam for foreign graduates last year, more than triple the 87 applicants recorded in 2020.Last year alone, 172 overseas medical school graduates passed the second stage of Korea’s preliminary medical licensing exam, more than three times the previous record of 55 set the year before.The preliminary exam is required for graduates of foreign medical schools recognized by the South Korean government before they can take the national medical licensing examination. The growing number of successful applicants is expected to increase the share of foreign medical graduates entering Korea’s medical workforce.Foreign medical school graduates made up 52 of the 269 successful applicants in the 89th national medical licensing exam, an unusually high 19.3 percent share caused largely by a sharp drop in domestic medical student participation amid the medical quota dispute.Hungarian medical schools accounted for the largest share, with 39 successful applicants, followed by graduates from schools in Norway, Russia, the United States, Australia and Britain.Hungary has emerged as one of the most popular destinations. Several Hungarian medical schools now hold admissions interviews and entrance exams in Seoul, including in Daechi-dong itself. Education agencies estimate that more than 200 Korean students may enter Hungarian medical schools this year, up from around 150 last year.