South Korea: MOLIT Consults on Aviation Medical Certification Rules

On August 4, 2026, South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) opened a 20-day public consultation on a partial amendment to the Regulations on Aviation Medical Certification (항공신체검사증명 등에 관한 규정), issuing the draft as MOLIT Notice No. 2026-1022. The consultation runs through August 24, 2026 and is managed by the Aviation Qualification and International Cooperation Team under Administrative Procedure Act Article 46. The notice invites public comment before the amendment is finalized as a binding MOLIT public notice (gosi).

The amended regulation is the subordinate instrument that implements the medical-certification provisions of the Aviation Safety Act (항공안전법). It sets the medical standards, examination classes, renewal periodicity and disqualifying conditions for every aviation medical certificate MOLIT issues to pilots, cabin crew and air traffic controllers licensed in Korea. A change here flows directly into carrier medical programs and individual certificate holders' renewal cycles.

What is being amended, and where is the operative text?

The notice page announces the partial amendment and attaches the operative documents: an administrative preview notice (행정예고문, PDF) and the final draft amendment text (일부개정고시안, HWPX). The detailed revision reasons and clause-by-clause changes sit in those attachments, not in the notice body, so affected parties should review the official notice page and the attached administrative preview document directly rather than relying on summary coverage.

Because the instrument is a MOLIT public notice rather than a National Assembly act, the amendment takes effect through ministerial promulgation after the consultation closes, not through the legislative pipeline. Once promulgated, it binds all certificate holders and examiners operating under MOLIT's aviation medical regime.

Who needs to review the draft now?

The development is directly relevant to Korean-licensed pilots, cabin crew and air traffic controllers who hold a MOLIT aviation medical certificate, and to the designated aviation medical examiners (항공의사) who conduct the examinations. At the operator level, crew licensing and medical leads at Korean carriers, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and T'way, should assess whether the amended standards change any disqualifying conditions, renewal intervals or examination requirements that govern their rosters.

For a draft consultation the immediate obligation is to evaluate impact and, where appropriate, submit comments; no new compliance duty bites until the notice is promulgated in its final form. Even so, certificate holders whose renewals fall in the coming months should track the outcome, because a finalized amendment can shift the medical criteria applied at the next examination.

How to submit comments by August 24, 2026

Comments can be filed through the opinion-registration link on the MOLIT legislative notice page, or directly to the responsible team. The lead department is the Aviation Qualification and International Cooperation Team (항공자격국제협력팀), contact officer Lee Se-woon (이세운), telephone 044-201-3083. Submissions must arrive within the 20-day window closing on August 24, 2026.

Continuous, per-jurisdiction monitoring surfaces a consultation like this the moment MOLIT publishes it, leaving the full 20-day window to review and respond rather than discovering the change after it binds.

Take advantage of this real-time watch

Next steps: download the draft amendment from the notice page and map every changed clause against your medical certification procedures; brief your aviation medical examiners and crew licensing leads on any shifted thresholds or renewal intervals; and, if the amendment touches your operations, file a comment with the Aviation Qualification and International Cooperation Team before August 24, 2026. Obsidian tracks this consultation through to promulgation so Korean aviation medical certificate holders act on the final rule, not just the draft.