South Korea, the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the world, 4th largest economy in Asia, and 10th in the world, has made a name for its high standard of living, high internet speeds, and railway system. It’s a brilliant opportunity to immigrate to South Korea as a doctor and enjoy life there now that the country needs doctors more than before.Â
This article will bring you whatever you need to know about moving to South Korea as a doctor.Â
How to become a doctor in South Korea?
To immigrate to South Korea as a doctor, you have to follow the below procedures. Read them carefully and bear in mind the details. Â
Step 1. Language proficiencyÂ
If you want to immigrate to Korea as a doctor, it is essential to be fluent in the Korean language. TOPK is the language proficiency test which stands for Test of Proficiency in Korean. You need a certificate with a score of 5 or higher to be eligible for the tests. Without such a score, you may not get the license.Â
You might have heard about Asian language systems. They are different than the websters world and it takes time to leave and get fluent in them. So it is with the Koreans. It takes you about 3 months to get familiar with the basics of the language. Then you can get communicate in the basic form.Â
You would better start learning the Hangul alphabet, which is completely different from Latin. If you have tried Mandarin, you would better know that it is different from Chinese as well. So you would better begin as early as possible.Â
Step 2. Study at a Korean university
You can study at a Korean university in medicine; that is a quicker way to become a doctor in Korea. The application process for international and domestic students is about the same. 36 colleges provide medicine in Korea. Visit the university’s website and find out what the requirements are. Universities have SAT exams to test Korean language proficiency. If you have studied in a non-English speaking country, TOEFL is required. The score is up to the university, so you would better visit the website. There is also a test called the CSAT test that you need to get prepared and have a high score. If you want to get accepted to the university, you would better world hard and get a better score than your Korean rivals. Remember that the test is in Korean. A medical degree in Korea takes six years to complete. The first two years are undergraduate education; the next two years are basic medical science. The final two years are practical/clinical education. When you get the university admission letter, you can apply for a student visa. You can find out how to apply for it from the right sidebar.Step 3. Have a doctor’s license and graduation certificate
Foreign doctors who want to move to South Korea must first have a license from their home country. Also, it is required to have graduated from a medical college approved by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare. If you meet the two conditions, you can take the Korea Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE) in Korea. There are only 96 medical schools from 26 countries that the Ministry approves of Health and Welfare. You can find the list of them in the below section. If your medical school is not on the list, you can contact the Ministry and ask them whether they approve your school or not. If the Ministry doesn’t approve your degree, you might have to pass a qualification exam. It could take up to two years to get prepared for this test.Step 4. Take the qualifying tests
The test you need to take is the Preliminary Examination. It consists of a clinical test ad a written test. The test is held every July and August. Remember that you need a TOPIK 5 or higher to take the test. Then comes the KMLE test. You need to take it in the Korean language to prove your knowledge of medical skills. The clinical skills test is from September to November, and the written test is in January.Step 5. Apply for a work visa
When you pass the KMLE test, you need to apply for a work visa to be allowed to work in South Korea. The work visa gets called an E2 visa, and you can find out all about it from the left sidebar.Best Medical schools in South Korea
There are about 36 medical schools in South Korea. The requirement to get into them are explained above. But you would better visit the university’s website to find out the full details. Here are the top ten medical schools in South Korea that you can get familiar with them:- Yonsei University College of Medicine
- University of Ulsan
- Korea University
- Catholic University of Korea
- Sungkwan university
- Seol National Univesity
- Inje University
- Pusan National university
- Kyungpook national university
- Hanyang university college of Medicine
What are the benefits of moving to South Korea?
There is no need to talk about the benefits of moving to South Korea, the 4th largest economy in Asia and the 10th largest in the world. But you might find the below factors fascinating about South Korea:Health and Safety
Health care are affordable for people in South Korea. Insurance costs you 20% of your salary in the US, but that is 4% in South Korea. If you don’t have insurance, it costs you less than 10 dollars to visit a doctor. Clinics are around, so you don’t have trouble getting help. As the cost is low, they get IVs when they are not feeling well. In fact, public health was not a concern, and people’s health was fine until the Covid-19 pandemic. But the government was able to manage it well. There is mutual trust between people and the GOVt, so the situation was handled well. The crime rate is at a low rate compared with the population. You can leave your studies in public places and one hour later find them untouched. But if not, someone has not put them with the lost and found.Nice and warm People
You will find the people warm and friendly, but they’re serious at work and hardworking. Of course, the distance between strangers is a bit long, but you will manage to get familiar with them. You will be able to meet families and make friends in smaller cities.sHigh quality of life
The ease and convenience of life in Kore will amaze you. Everything is available and you have peace of mind living there. The services are convenient and always available. Your grocery will be delivered in one day, and taxis are available every minute. Technology has helped Koreans to make life easier, and they have less concern over small things. Green spaces and parks are well built and available for everyone to enjoy life.Air quality
The one problem that many people in almost eerie countries face is air pollution. But that is not in South Korea. The quality of air is good even in major cities. You can get an air purifier at 100 US dollars for your house.Quality of education
Schools enjoys a high quality of education in South Korea. They focus on math and languages and teachers are dedicated. You can find a native English speaker teaching English to children even in rural areas.Qualified medical schools accepted in South Korea
The below list of medical schools and universities are accepted by the Korean Ministry. If you have a degree from one of this list, you may move to South Korea as a doctor:
South Korea | University of Pretoria |
Netherlands | University of Amsterdam |
Taiwan | National Taiwan University |
National Yang-Ming University | |
Chung Shan Medical University |
Germany | Charito-Universitatsmedizin Berlin |
Eberhard-karls-Universitat | |
Tuebingen, Medizinische Fakultat | |
Georg-August-Universitat | |
Goettingen, Medizinische Fakultat | |
Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitat | |
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen | |
Medizinischen Universitat Zu Llibeck | |
University Essen Universitat Leipzig | |
Philipps-Universitat Marburg | |
Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat. | |
Bonn Medizinische Fakultat | |
Ruhr-Universitat Bochum | |
Ruprecht Karls Unversity of Heidelberg |
Russia | Khabarovsk Medical Institute |
Novosibirsk State Medical University | |
Russian State Medical University(RSMU) | |
Saint Petersburg State LP Pavlov Medical University | |
St Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University | |
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University | |
The Far Eastern State Medical University |
Mongolia | Health Sciences University of Mongolia |
---|---|
National Medical University of Mongolia |
USA | Tufts University |
Washington University In St Louis School of Medicine | |
Virginia Commonwealth University | |
University of Southern California School of Medicine | |
University of Miami School of Medicine | |
University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine | |
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | |
Rush University, Rush Medical College | |
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine | |
New York Medical College,School of Medicine | |
Loma Linda University School of Medicine | |
Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons | |
Albany Medical College |
Bolivia | Universidad CatOlica Boliviana |
Switzerland | Universitat Zurich(University of Zurich) |
Argentina | Universidad De Buenos Aires Facultad De Medicina |
 | Universidad del Salvador |
 | Universidad FavalorP ; |
Ethiopia | Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Medicine |
United Kingdom | People’s Friendship University of Russia |
Lomonosov Moscow State University | |
University of Liverpool | |
University of Leicester | |
Imperial College London | |
University of Birmingham | |
University of Nottingham | |
University of Manchester, Faculty of Medicine | |
University of Cambridge, Jesus College | |
University College London Medical School | |
King’s College London |
Austria University of Vienna | (Universitat Wien Medizinische Fakultat) |
Uzbekistan | First Tashkent State Medical Institute |
Samarkand State Medical Institute | |
Tashkent Pediatric Medical Institute |
Ukraine | Ukrainian State Medical University |
Kyiv Medical Institute |
Japan | Kansai Medical University |
Keio University | |
The University of Tokyo | |
Tokai University | |
Osaka University | |
Nagasaki University | |
Teikyo University | |
Hiroshima University |
Canada | University of Alberta, |
 | Faculty of Medicine and Oral health Science |
 | University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine |
Kazakhstan | The Kazakh State Medical Academy |
Paraguay | Universidad Nacional De Asuncion, |
Facultad De Ciencias Medicas | |
Universidad Catolica “Nuestra Senora | |
de la Asuncion” Campus Asuncion |
Poland | Medical University of Warsaw |
(Second Faculty of Medicind English Division) |
France | Henri Warembourg Universite De Lille li, Faculte De Medecine |
Universite Paris V | |
Universite Paris VI | |
(Faculte DeMededne Broussais Hotel Dieu) |
Philippines | Angeles University Foundation College of Medicine |
 | De La Salle University College of Medicine |
 | University of Santo Tmoas Faculty of Medicine |
 | Xavier University Dr. Jose P. Rizal College of Medicine |
Hungary | University of Debrecen |
Semmelweis University | |
University of Pecs |
Australia | Sydney University |
The University of New South Wales | |
The University of Queensland Medical School | |
University of Melbourne | |
University of Western Sydney |
New Zealand | University of Otago |
Kyrgyzstan | The Kyrgyz State Medical Academy |
If you have a medical degree from the above list of countries, you are eligible to work in South Korea as a doctor.
Let’s sum up…
You can immigrate to South Korea as a doctor if you are qualified. This article explains who is eligible to move to South Korea as a doctor and how to do it. You got familiar with the list of approved medical schools by South Korea and the application process got explained in detail.
If you have questions, write them down in the comment section.
Visit South Korea work visa article from the right sidebar to know how to get your visa.
Frequently asked questions about how to immigrate to South Korea as a doctor
Can foreign nationals immigrate to South Korea as a doctor?
Yes, if they have studied in certain medical schools and meet the language proficiency tests.
How long does it take to become a doctor in South Korea?
If you want to study in Korea, it takes you six years.
Do I need a Korean language test to become a doctor in Korea?
Yes, the first and foremost requirement are to get a Korean language fluency test.
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