Medical School in Mokpo, University Hospital in Suncheon? Min Hyeongbae Transition Committee Proposes Compromise Plan for National Medical School Integration

Proposal to Establish Medical School and Main Administration at National Mokpo University,
University Hospital in Suncheon

Aiming to Secure Essential Healthcare in Both Western and Eastern Regions... Collecting Opinions

The transition committee for Min Hyeongbae, the special mayor-elect for the integrated Jeonnam-Gwangju region, has drawn attention by proposing a compromise plan to separately locate the medical school and university hospital for National Mokpo University and Suncheon National University, which are being considered for integration on the premise of establishing a new national medical school. The plan involves placing the medical school in Mokpo and the university hospital in Suncheon, aiming to resolve the years-long conflict over the site selection and simultaneously reduce the healthcare gap between the eastern and western regions of Jeonnam.

According to the Jeonnam-Gwangju Grand Transformation Planning Committee on July 6, the transition committee recently proposed to both universities the plan of establishing the medical school and main university administration at National Mokpo University, while constructing the university hospital in Suncheon.

The transition committee plans to finalize its position after collecting opinions from university members by next week.

The transition committee noted that National Mokpo University has been pursuing the establishment of a medical school since the 1990s and has even secured land for it, meaning that the conditions for opening a medical school are in place. In contrast, Suncheon is considered suitable for building a university hospital with more than 500 beds and for expanding the medical infrastructure needed for clinical training for medical students.

National Mokpo University and Soonchunhyang University.

This compromise plan appears to reflect the committee's view that the discussion around establishing a new national medical school should not remain a competition between specific regions, but should instead lead to improvements in medical services across all of Jeonnam.

A representative of the transition committee stated, "While the establishment of a new national medical school is important, it is even more important to build essential healthcare systems in both the eastern and western regions of Jeonnam. We will start with regions where it is possible to set up a university hospital first, and if conditions allow for university hospitals in other areas in the future, we will work to ensure there are no healthcare blind spots."

However, significant challenges are expected before both universities decide whether to accept the proposal. Although National Mokpo University and Suncheon National University agreed in November 2024 to integrate on the premise of establishing a national medical school, the integration process has effectively stalled due to disagreements over the location of the medical school campus and the site for the university hospital.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.