A South Korean plan to greatly increase medical school seats has helped prompt more top students to enroll for exam-prep studies to become doctors ¡ª over the once sure-fire bet of trying to become engineers who make semiconductors.
The operators at some of the nation¡¯s largest cram schools have set up new courses for those looking to take exams in November to enter a university medical program next year, when South Korea plans to increase the number of slots by 2,000 from the current 3,058 to alleviate a shortage of doctors.
¡°When students think about their lives after graduation, their preference lies with medical schools,¡± said Lim Sung-ho, head of one of South Korea¡¯s biggest cram schools, the Jongro Hagwon Academy. The overall number of med school applicants is expected to increase from 9,532 in 2024 to 15,851 next year, according to Jongro Academy.
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