Chungnam Province: "Establishment of the Dental Research Institute in Cheonan is a Presidential Pledge... Nationwide Public Competition Not Allowed"

The legal basis for establishing the National Institute of Dental Science has been secured. Chungnam Province emphasizes that the establishment of the Dental Science Institute in Cheonan was included in the president's regional pledges and insists on establishing it in Cheonan without a nationwide public competition process.

According to Chungnam Province on the 29th, the partial amendment to the "Act on the Promotion of Health and Medical Technology," which serves as the legal basis for establishing the Dental Science Institute, passed the National Assembly plenary session the day before.

The amendment was approved with 265 votes in favor and 4 abstentions out of 269 members present at the plenary session. The amendment includes ▲establishment of the National Institute of Dental Science as a special corporation under the Ministry of Health and Welfare ▲promotion of industrial advancement through research on dental science technology ▲standardization of technology and dissemination of research and development achievements in the dental field ▲training of outstanding personnel in dental science technology ▲support for the development of dental industry technology.

Chungnam Province plans to focus its administrative efforts on establishing the Dental Science Institute in Cheonan following the passage of the amendment in the plenary session.

The establishment of the Dental Science Institute in Cheonan is also a regional pledge of Chungnam Province’s 8th local government and President Yoon Suk-yeol. Based on this, Governor Kim Tae-heum of Chungnam Province proposed to President Yoon Suk-yeol in July last year and February this year that the Dental Science Institute should be established in Cheonan without a nationwide public competition process.

In particular, Chungnam Province and Cheonan City have completed a feasibility study for attracting the Dental Science Institute to ensure the prompt implementation of the president’s regional pledge, and have purchased a 5,162㎡ site within the Cheonan-Asan KTX station area for the establishment.

With the legal basis for establishing the Dental Science Institute now secured, Chungnam Province plans to reiterate to the government that the establishment of the Dental Science Institute in Cheonan is a presidential regional pledge and clearly oppose any nationwide public competition.

If there is any indication that the government intends to establish the Dental Science Institute through a nationwide public competition, Chungnam Province will mobilize the power of 2.2 million residents through a province-wide signature campaign and rallies, and explore joint responses with the Chungnam Dental Association and Dankook University College of Dentistry.

A Chungnam Province official said, “A nationwide public competition for establishing the Dental Science Institute could cause unnecessary controversy and waste administrative resources,” adding, “Chungnam Province will make every effort to ensure that the government establishes the Dental Science Institute in Cheonan as originally promised.”

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