Presidential Office: "Financial Support for Expanded Medical Schools... Facility Expansion and Faculty Recruitment Needed"

Park Chunsup, Chief Economic Secretary, "We Will Definitely Control Inflation"
Considering Additional Extension of Fuel Tax Reduction Measures

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 20th, as the government announced the university-specific allocation results for the increase of 2,000 medical school students, Park Chun-seop, the Chief Economic Secretary to the President, stated that financial support for these universities will be increased.

In an interview with KBS on the same day, Chief Park said, "With the increase in medical school students, costs for expanding related facilities such as lecture rooms and practice rooms, as well as equipment, and personnel expenses for hiring new faculty members will be necessary," adding, "The government's financial support will inevitably increase."

The government confirmed the increase of 2,000 medical school students in a public address by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on the same day. According to the '2025 Academic Year Medical School Student Quota University Allocation Results' released by the Ministry of Education, 82% of the increased quota was allocated to non-metropolitan areas to expand regional medical infrastructure, and the remaining 18% was distributed to the Gyeonggi and Incheon areas.

Regarding the recent sharp rise in grocery prices, especially fruits and vegetables, Chief Park emphasized, "The government is preparing special measures."

He explained, "The government is providing more than 150 billion won in emergency price stabilization funds to ensure price stability," and "When purchasing agricultural products at large supermarkets and traditional markets, the government supports delivery price subsidies so that consumers can buy at discounted prices."

Chief Park also said, "Tariffs on 24 types of imported fruits have been reduced to 0%, and imports are unlimited," adding, "For highly demanded fruits such as bananas, the government directly imports and supplies them cheaply without distribution margins."

He continued, "The government will firmly control prices," emphasizing, "Government support will be implemented indefinitely until agricultural product prices stabilize to average levels."

Regarding the recent rise in international oil prices, he said, "Oil prices are influenced by oil production volumes of producing countries, Middle East risks, and the global economy, so it is difficult to predict accurately," and forecasted, "It will not be easy for prices to drop significantly in the future."

Chief Park stated, "We will closely monitor oil price trends and respond appropriately," and "We are also considering an additional extension of the fuel tax reduction measure that ends at the end of April."

On whether the government's target economic growth rate of 2.2% for this year will be achieved, he said, "It is achievable without difficulty," citing, "Global trade volume is increasing, and exports centered on semiconductors are also rising."

Chief Park added, "International organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) also forecast our country's growth rate to be around 2.2 to 2.3%," and "Among major countries with a GDP exceeding 1 trillion dollars, our country has one of the highest levels, so achieving 2.2% should not be a big issue."

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