Southwestern Jeonnam Urges "Complete Reassessment of National Medical School Candidate Selection"

Press Conference by Political Parties and Civic Groups
"Disclosure of Evaluation Materials, Resignation of Assembly Member Kim Won-yi"

On the morning of September 4 at 10:30 a.m., political parties and civic organizations from the southwestern region of Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Metropolitan City held a press conference at the Namak Government Complex plaza, urging a complete reassessment of the selection process for candidate universities for the national medical school.

More than 300 members of civic groups and students from Mokpo National University gathered at the square of the Muan Government Office in Jeollanam-do to urge a re-evaluation of the National Medical University. Photo by Seunghyun Jeong

They stated, "Residents of the southwestern region, including Mokpo, have been waiting for the establishment of a national medical school and university hospital at Mokpo National University for 36 years," and argued, "The recent results are not a simple competition between universities for hosting rights but an issue where the residents' rights to life and healthcare have once again been disregarded."

They specifically raised concerns about the hasty review process, pointing out that only four days were given from the request for candidate university recommendations until the submission of proposals, and that review committee members had just about an hour to evaluate the proposals from the two universities.

The organizations also called for verification regarding plans for securing sites and faculty. According to them, Mokpo National University has secured approximately 165,000 square meters of national land (about 50,000 pyeong) for the construction of a medical school and university hospital, whereas Suncheon National University submitted a conditional agreement to lease land owned by Suncheon City free of charge.

They emphasized that supporting documents related to the faculty recruitment plan, which accounted for 1.17 points out of the total 1.3-point difference in scores, should be made public—specifically, materials verifying the actual possibility of appointments, composition by field, timing of recruitment, and financial resources.

They demanded that the Ministry of Education halt the final decision and conduct a full reassessment, and called on the Unified Metropolitan City government to disclose evaluation materials and supporting documents from each university. They also urged Mokpo National University to pursue legal action to the end and to keep citizens informed of developments.

They requested that Myeongbae Min, Mayor of Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Metropolitan City, withdraw the sole recommendation of Suncheon National University and pursue a reassessment, and called on National Assembly member Kim Won-yi to take political responsibility for the failure to secure a medical school for Mokpo National University, including resigning from office.

The organizations declared, "We will not wait any longer, relying only on political promises," and vowed to lead joint action between Mokpo National University and the southwestern region, including protests at the Ministry of Education, citizens' rallies, and signature campaigns."

They further stressed, "If the 36-year wait is ignored again, it will face massive civic resistance," and, "We will not allow the right to life of southwestern residents to become a casualty of a rushed review process."

Meanwhile, several Mokpo City Council members—Park Yongjun, Jang Gayoung, and Lee Jeongseok—who are classified as non-Democratic bloc members, also attended the press conference and joined in demanding a reassessment of the medical school selection.

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