The number of general dermatologists increased by 1.8 times from 571 before the legislative conflict to 1,022 in March this year.
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Jan-di = A medical research study showed that the number of 'dermatology generalists' increased significantly in 2024 as residents collectively resigned and returned due to conflict over legislation.
In particular, even after residents returned to training, the number of general dermatologists maintained a significantly higher level than before the conflict. The number of general practitioners working in clinics that reported their specialty as dermatology was 571 before the dispute, but the number reached 1,022 in March of this year.
According to the medical community on the 27th, Professor Lee Sang-gyu of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Yonsei University College of Medicine analyzed the change in the distribution of general residents before and after the mass resignation of residents based on data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, and this trend was confirmed.
When the government announced in February 2024 that it would increase the number of medical school students by 2,000, residents protested by collectively resigning from teaching hospitals. A significant number of medical residents returned to training in September of last year, but the landscape of domestic medical personnel has changed significantly due to the prolonged dispute over regulations.
The number of residents working at teaching hospitals plummeted by 90.7% from 13,001 in December 2023, just before the legislative conflict, to 1,208 in December 2024.
During the same period, the number of general practitioners working in medical institutions other than teaching hospitals increased by 64.8% from 5,557 to 9,157.
The number of general practitioners working at clinic-level medical institutions increased from 3,915 in December 2023 to 6,436 in December 2024 and 7,098 in June 2025. Afterwards, as the return of majors began in earnest, it decreased again.
By specialty, there was a notable increase in the number of general practitioners working in clinic-level dermatology. Even if a general practitioner does not have specialist qualifications, he or she can provide treatment by reporting dermatology as a specialty when opening a clinic.
The number of general practitioners at dermatology clinics increased from 571 in December 2023 to 1,051 in December 2024 and to 1,285 in June of last year. As of March this year, there were 1,022 people, which was 1.8 times the number in December 2023 before the legislative conflict.
The same was true for general lawmakers.
The number of general practitioners increased from 2,376 in December 2023 to 2,808 in December 2024, and increased to 3,049 in June last year. In March of this year, there were 2,618 people, 242 more than before the legislative conflict.
On the other hand, in internal medicine, orthopedics, and plastic surgery, the increase in general admissions decreased significantly after the return of residents.
The number of general internal medicine doctors increased from 232 in December 2023 to 575 in June of last year, but decreased to 278 in March of this year.
During this period, orthopedics (62 โ 341 โ 124 people) and plastic surgery (137 โ 292 โ 196 people) also showed similar trends.
The number of ENT patients increased from 37 to 144, but then decreased to 38, returning to the level before the legislative conflict.
The research team said, "As residents returned in September 2025, the number of general practitioners decreased in most medical departments, but dermatology and general clinics maintained a significant portion of the increase during the period of legislative conflict."
They added, "Due to the nature of the HIRA data, which counts the number of general practitioners rather than individual doctors, it is not possible to directly confirm whether the increased number of general practitioners means resigning residents," but added, "The timing and scale of the change coincide, suggesting a strong correlation."
The research results were published in the Journal of Korean Medical Society (JKMS).
