Southwestern Jeonnam Cities and Counties Vow All-Out Fight, Declare "Suncheon National University Medical School Selection" Null and Void from the Outset

National Assembly members, local government heads, local council members, and civic groups issue joint statement
The Education Ministry hides behind external advice... evades responsibility without a reassessment
Ignoring realities in the southwestern region, one of the country's most medically underserved areas... "Disclose the evaluation criteria"

"It is absurd to evaluate a university that already owns a site on the same footing as one that has only submitted plans to acquire one in the future. Immediately halt the selection process for the national medical school, which has trampled on the right to life of residents in the southwestern region, one of the most medically underserved areas in the country, and reexamine it from square one."

Following the government's selection of Suncheon National University as the site for a new national medical school in Jeonnam, local governments and political figures in southwestern Jeonnam, including Mokpo National University, have joined forces to strongly protest the decision.

They characterized the latest selection process as a "tilted playing field" that lacked fairness in evaluation and procedural transparency, and announced plans for an all-out legal and administrative response, including a constitutional complaint, as well as large-scale civic protests.

Members of the National Assembly, local government heads, local councils, and civic groups from six cities and counties in southwestern Jeonnam issued a “Joint Position Statement on the Southwestern Jeonnam-Gwangju Region” regarding the Education Ministry’s selection of a university to establish a new national medical school. Reporter Lee Jungyeong

On November 4, National Assembly members, heads of local governments, local councils, and civic groups from six cities and counties in southwestern Jeonnam (Mokpo, Muan, Yeongam, Shinan, Haenam, Wando, and Jindo) issued a "Joint Position Statement of Southwestern Jeonnam and Gwangju on the Ministry of Education's Selection of a Region and University for a New National Medical School and Allocation of Enrollment Quotas" in the briefing room of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City Council.

The press conference was attended by Mokpo Mayor Kang Seonghui, Mokpo National University Professor Kang Ilguk, Mokpo City Council Chair Lee Hyeongwan, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City Council members Choi Seonguk, Choi Jeonghun, and Jeon Gyeongseon, and Ha Sangbok, co-chair of the Southwestern Region Emergency Committee for a Medical School, among others.

In the joint statement, the southwestern region criticized the government and the external consulting firm's review process point by point. First, responding to the Ministry of Education's explanation, based on multiple external legal opinions, that there were "no legal defects," the region said, "Whether there were grounds to reject the recommendation and whether the evaluation criteria met the standards are separate issues." It added, "Rather than making a formal determination of legality, the fairness of the entire process must be verified, from the design of the evaluation to the assignment of scores."

Representatives of the southwestern region said the government had evaded responsibility by relying solely on local governments' recommendations and failing to conduct a reassessment, despite being the final decision-maker.

Questions about fairness in the evaluation criteria for "site acquisition" and "medical underserved status" emerged as the central issues. The southwestern region argued, "Mokpo National University already owns a site, a required condition, while Suncheon National University submitted only plans to acquire one in the future." It added, "It must be clearly disclosed how the difference between a site already secured and one planned for acquisition was reflected in the evaluation."

They also condemned as a "rubber yardstick" an ambiguous interpretation that a pledge to provide land free of charge could include a sale, saying it undermined the original review criteria. They expressed outrage that the region's harsh medical conditions and residents' desperate circumstances had not been properly reflected in the review. Southwestern Jeonnam, home to numerous islands including Shinan, Jindo, and Wando, is a place where people frequently lose their lives after missing the golden hour in emergencies.

The southwestern region said, "The serious gaps in medical access and infrastructure within the region were glossed over under the pretext that all of Jeonnam is medically underserved." It pressed the government to "provide credible evidence showing how differences in medical needs between the eastern and western parts of the province were reflected in the evaluation." It also demanded transparent disclosure of the criteria and data used to decide that Suncheon National University would receive only 60 places, citing the difficulties a newly established medical school faces in its early years. In response, political figures and local governments in the southwestern region presented four key demands to the government and called for comprehensive action.

First, they demanded an immediate temporary suspension of all follow-up procedures related to the medical school selection decision and a comprehensive reexamination from square one by an independent, substantive body. To dispel controversy over a "black-box review," they also called for the transparent disclosure of all relevant materials, including evaluation criteria and scoring, detailed results for each university, review records, and legal opinions.

They also criticized unilateral, closed-door administration and called for the swift establishment of a transparent verification process in which actual stakeholders, including the southwestern region and Mokpo National University, could participate directly. They insisted that the government clearly present effective, concrete plans for locating the medical school and its teaching hospital to address the crisis caused by gaps in essential, emergency, and critical care facing residents of southwestern Jeonnam and the island communities.

During the question-and-answer session that followed, Mokpo National University Professor Kang Ilguk said of future plans, "We will focus on legal action, actively considering a lawsuit to revoke the disposition by the mayor of Gwangju Integrated Special City, a lawsuit against the Minister of Education, and even a constitutional complaint." He also dismissed proposals for alternative infrastructure, such as a branch of Chonnam National University or expanded public medical centers, saying, "They cannot provide a fundamental solution for emergency care. Establishing a medical school hospital staffed by high-quality medical professionals is the only answer."

Ha Sangbok, co-chair of the Southwestern Region Emergency Committee for a Medical School, said, "The Ministry of Education's announcement is a biased interpretation copied from the existing position of the mayor of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City." He added, "We will hold a large-scale town hall meeting to bring together the wisdom and resolve of southwestern residents and intensify our struggle."

Mokpo Mayor Kang Seonghui also declared, "I am fighting firmly and unequivocally against the special city, the Ministry of Education, and the Blue House, prepared to stake my position as mayor on it." He expressed strong determination to fulfill the long-held aspirations of southwestern residents, who have waited for 30 years.

The joint statement was endorsed by a wide range of key local figures, including National Assembly members Kim Woni, Seo Samseok, and Park Jiwon; Seo Mihwa, a supreme council member of the Democratic Party of Korea; and local government heads Kang Seonghwi of Mokpo, Kim San of Muan County, Woo Seunghee of Yeongam County, Kim Taeseong of Shinan County, Myung Hyeongwan of Haenam County, and Lee Jaegak of Jindo County.

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