Part of our Nursing Councils of the World series. Last checked: November 2026.
South Korea’s nurses have just been through a historic few years. After decades of campaigning, the country passed a standalone Nursing Act in 2024, and it took effect in June 2025, giving nurses their own legal framework separate from the Medical Service Act. At the same time, a prolonged dispute between the government and trainee physicians from 2024 put enormous pressure on hospitals, and nurses stepped into expanded roles. For nurses inside and outside Korea, understanding these changes is essential.
This guide explains who regulates nursing in South Korea, the national licensing examination, what the Nursing Act changed, the Korean Nurses Association, and what foreign-educated nurses need to know.
Imagine you are a nurse in a Seoul tertiary hospital in early 2024. Overnight, many trainee physicians stop working. Your ward is still full. You find yourself performing tasks that were once outside your role, without clear legal protection. Two years later, a new law finally defines what nurses can do and promises a national plan for staffing and working conditions. That is the story of Korean nursing in this decade.
Who regulates nursing in South Korea?
Nurses are licensed by the Minister of Health and Welfare after passing the national nursing licensing examination, which is administered by the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute (KHPLEI). Since June 2025, nursing practice is governed by the Nursing Act; before that, it fell under the Medical Service Act.
The national nursing licensing examination
- Held: once a year, usually in January.
- Eligibility: graduates of accredited nursing programmes in Korea (now mainly four-year bachelor’s programmes), or graduates of recognised foreign programmes who meet the Ministry’s criteria and also hold a foreign licence.
- Format: multiple-choice, computer-scored questions covering adult nursing, maternal nursing, child nursing, community nursing, psychiatric nursing, fundamentals and nursing management, and health and medical laws.
- Pass standard: candidates must achieve a minimum overall score and a minimum in each subject.
- Language: Korean.
Korean graduates pass at high rates, typically around 90% or more in recent years.
The Nursing Act: what changed
The Nursing Act was passed by the National Assembly in 2024 with overwhelming support (283 of 290 members present voting in favour) and took effect in June 2025. According to the International Council of Nurses and Korean government statements, the Act:
- Creates a separate legal framework for nursing instead of relying on the Medical Service Act.
- Gives legal protection to nurses who perform delegated medical tasks within their scope of practice, which became critical during the medical crisis when “physician assistant” style roles expanded.
- Covers nursing across settings, including community care, not just hospitals.
- Requires a Nursing Policy Deliberation Committee to produce a Comprehensive Nursing Plan every five years, covering working conditions, staffing, supply, education and placement of nurses.
The Prime Minister described the law as “a stepping stone to becoming an advanced healthcare country”. Detailed implementing rules, particularly on which delegated tasks nurses may perform and what training they need, continue to develop.
The Korean Nurses Association (KNA)
The Korean Nurses Association, founded in 1923, is the national professional body for nurses and a member of the International Council of Nurses. It led the decades-long campaign for the Nursing Act. The KNA:
- Advocates for nurses’ rights, safe staffing and better pay.
- Runs continuing education and supports advanced practice nurse (APN) certification in specialties.
- Publishes ethical codes and professional standards.
- Represents Korean nurses internationally.
Korea also recognises advanced practice nurses in fields such as critical care, emergency, oncology, gerontology and hospice, after graduate education and a certification examination.
Working conditions
- Large tertiary hospitals in Seoul and other major cities offer the best pay and training, but workloads are high.
- Nurse-to-patient ratios in many hospitals are higher than in Europe or Australia, which contributes to turnover, especially among new nurses.
- Many licensed nurses are not working in nursing; returning them to practice is a major policy goal.
- The Integrated Nursing Care Service model, in which nurses and nursing assistants provide all care without family carers or private caregivers at the bedside, is being expanded.
Can foreign nurses work in South Korea?
It is possible but uncommon. Foreign-educated nurses must:
- Graduate from a nursing programme recognised by the Minister of Health and Welfare as equivalent.
- Hold a nursing licence from that country.
- Pass the Korean national nursing licensing examination, in Korean.
- Obtain an appropriate visa, usually through an employer.
High-level Korean (for example, TOPIK level 5 or 6) is realistically essential, both for the exam and for safe practice. Some international clinics and medical tourism centres hire foreign nurses for coordination or interpretation roles, but these are not registered nurse positions unless the nurse holds a Korean licence.
Korean nurses working abroad
Korean nurses have a long history of working abroad, notably in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s, and today many take the NCLEX to work in the United States or move to Australia and Canada. Read our guide on NCLEX retake rules and best countries to work as a nurse.
Nursing education in South Korea
South Korea has moved almost entirely to four-year bachelor’s nursing programmes, accredited by the Korean Accreditation Board of Nursing Education. Students complete extensive clinical practice in hospitals and community settings before sitting the national licensing exam in January of their final year. Graduate programmes train advanced practice nurses, educators and researchers, and Korean nursing research output has grown rapidly.
Advanced practice nurses in Korea
Korea recognises advanced practice nurses (APNs) in specialties including critical care, emergency, oncology, hospice, gerontology, home care, infection control, anaesthesia, psychiatric, occupational health, public health, clinical and paediatric nursing. APNs complete a recognised master’s-level programme and a national certification examination. During the medical crisis that began in 2024, many experienced nurses took on expanded hospital roles, sometimes called “PA nurses”, and the Nursing Act and related regulations aim to clarify which tasks they may perform and what training is required.
Working conditions and retention
Korean nurses face some of the most demanding workloads among high-income countries, with high patient loads in many hospitals and a hierarchical workplace culture. A phenomenon sometimes called “taeum” (often translated as “burning”) describes harsh treatment of new nurses by senior colleagues, which has been linked to early resignations. Hospitals, the Korean Nurses Association and the government have introduced mentoring programmes, new graduate support and anti-bullying policies to tackle this. The Integrated Nursing Care Service model, which shifts bedside care from family members and private caregivers to hospital nursing teams, has increased demand for nurses and nursing assistants.
Korean nursing history in brief
- Modern nursing education in Korea began in the early twentieth century, with mission hospitals playing a key role.
- The Korean Nurses Association was founded in 1923.
- In the 1960s and 1970s, thousands of Korean nurses went to work in West Germany, a migration that shaped Korean nursing’s international reputation.
- In 2024 the National Assembly passed the Nursing Act, which took effect in June 2025, after decades of campaigning.
For nurses outside Korea, the country’s story shows how professional associations, public support and persistence can achieve major legal change.
Frequently asked questions
When did South Korea’s Nursing Act take effect?
June 2025, after being passed by the National Assembly in 2024.
Who conducts the Korean nursing licensing exam?
The Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute (KHPLEI), on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Can I take the Korean nursing exam in English?
No. It is conducted in Korean.
Is the Korean Nurses Association a regulator?
No. It is a professional association. Licensing is done by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
But will the Nursing Act really improve nurses’ lives?
The law sets a foundation, but its impact depends on implementing rules, funding and the first Comprehensive Nursing Plan. Korean nurses will judge it by whether staffing improves, delegated tasks are clearly defined and safely trained, and new nurses stay in the profession. Nurses everywhere can learn from Korea’s campaign: persistent, united advocacy can change the law.
Your next step: If you are interested in Korea, check whether your nursing degree would be recognised by contacting the Ministry of Health and Welfare or KHPLEI, and start Korean lessons aiming for TOPIK level 5.
Related: Nursing in Japan · Nursing councils of the world
Sources: International Council of Nurses (news on the Korean Nursing Act, 2024); Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute; Ministry of Health and Welfare (Korea); Korean Journal of Adult Nursing (2025) on the Nursing Act. Rules change; check official sources.
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