The number of pediatric residents working at teaching hospitals across South Korea has plunged more than 80% in five years to just 113, according to government data. About 80% of them are concentrated in Seoul, while many provinces have none at all, deepening what critics call a widening gap in pediatric care outside the capital.
Rep. So Byung-hoon of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, said on the 29th that an analysis of pediatric residency and training data submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare showed 113 pediatric residents were serving at teaching hospitals nationwide as of September. They included 35 first-year, 33 second-year, 35 third-year and 10 fourth-year residents. That is down 480, or 81.0%, from the 593 slated for appointment in 2021.
The regional imbalance was severe. Of the 113 residents, 89 — or 78.8% — worked in Seoul. Gyeonggi Province had just two, while South Chungcheong Province, North Chungcheong Province and Jeonbuk State each had one. Six cities and provinces — Gangwon State, North Gyeongsang Province, South Gyeongsang Province, South Jeolla Province, Sejong and Incheon — had no pediatric residents at all.
The exodus accelerated during the 2024 standoff between the government and the medical community. Of the 236 pediatric residents slated for appointment that year, 194 resigned, a departure rate of 82.2%. The losses spanned every year of training: 59 first-year, 40 second-year, 44 third-year and 51 fourth-year residents.
Recruitment of new residents has also faltered. In the 2025 intake of first-year pediatric residents, 52 of the 61 teaching hospitals nationwide, or 85%, filled no positions. Of 199 openings, only 27 were filled. Regional flagship national university hospitals — including Kyungpook National University Hospital, Pusan National University Hospital, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Kangwon National University Hospital and Jeju National University Hospital — recruited no new residents. By contrast, Asan Medical Center took on 10 and Seoul National University Hospital eight.
The lawmaker also said the government lacks a clear picture of the pediatric subspecialty workforce. The ministry told his office it does not hold data on hospital-by-hospital hiring of pediatric subspecialists because the credential is a private certification.
"A situation in which 85% of teaching hospitals cannot take on a single new resident goes beyond the collapse of the pediatric care safety net in the regions — it amounts to a national disaster," So said, calling for state funding for pediatric residency training costs and fiscal support to retain subspecialists.
