Yongho Lee: "Public Medical School Admission by Provincial Governors' Recommendation? Fake News"

"No Relevant Content at All. Student Selection Must Be Conducted Fairly"

Independent lawmaker Yongho Lee. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Seulgi Kim] Independent member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, Lee Yong-ho, stated on the 26th that "the claim that public medical school students are selected through recommendations by city and provincial governors is fake news."

In a statement released that day, Lee said, "The 'Public Medical School Establishment Act' proposed in the National Assembly contains no provisions regarding student selection through recommendations by city or provincial governors."

Lee explained, "This controversy originated from a sentence in the comprehensive plan for the development of public health care announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in October 2018, which stated that 'essential public health personnel training and management includes selecting local candidates through recommendations by city and provincial governors.'" He added, "This pertains to the public health scholarship system, not the public medical school."

He emphasized, "The selection of public medical school students must be conducted fairly and will be clarified during the legislative process. The significance of establishing the public medical school should not be diluted or derailed by fake news."

He further added, "The public medical school is essential to prepare for unprecedented infectious disease outbreaks like the COVID-19 pandemic and to address medical service gaps in underserved areas."

Meanwhile, Kim Kang-rip, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, explained on the same day regarding the claim that city and provincial governors and civic groups could recommend public medical school students, saying, "This is not true. We apologize for causing any misunderstanding."

Vice Minister Kim stated, "The idea was discussed as part of reviewing various alternatives to ensure that public medical school students are selected in line with the purpose of public healthcare," but added, "The initial explanation was very inappropriate. Fairness in the selection process must be a given."

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