"Donate My Body for Dissection"... Chungbuk Governor Publicly Pledges to the Nation's Largest Increase in Cadaver Donations

"Medical Student Pledges to Donate Body for Anatomy Practice"

Kim Young-hwan, Governor of Chungbuk Province, announced his intention to donate his body to a medical school in the Chungbuk region after his death. This appears to be a solution to concerns about a shortage of cadavers for medical students' dissection practice, following Chungbuk's achievement of the largest increase in medical school quotas nationwide.

Kim Young-hwan, Governor of Chungbuk Province. [Image source=Chungbuk Province·Yonhap News]

On the 21st, Governor Kim posted on his Facebook titled, "I will donate my body to a medical school in Chungbuk when I pass away." He said, "This is for the anatomy practice of medical students," adding, "The quota at Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, a regional base university and a mini medical school, increased from 49 to 200, an increase of 151 students, and Konkuk University Glocal Campus increased from 40 to 100, an increase of 60 students." He continued, "Following the number one birth rate, achieving the number one increase rate in medical students is a great joy and welcome for the 1.64 million residents of the province."

Governor Kim said, "There are three years left until these newly increased medical students begin their full medical education in their second year of the main course," and added, "During this period, the government should significantly expand the budget and personnel for the MRC (Medical Research Center), which has been implemented for the past 20 years." He also said, "How about launching a campaign in Chungbuk to donate bodies to anatomy departments and provide them to universities?" He added, "Concerns about confusion or poor medical education due to the increase in medical school quotas are excessive worries about medical reform. These can be sufficiently overcome."

[Image source=Kim Young-hwan, Governor of Chungbuk Facebook]

Furthermore, Governor Kim stated, "We will make hospitals in Chungcheongbuk-do world-class and open the path to medical tourism in connection with Cheongju Airport, turning it into a healing destination in the Lake Park Renaissance era," adding, "Medical reform has now taken its first step, and Chungcheongbuk-do is at the center of it. It is the responsibility of our residents to make this blossom."

Meanwhile, the government announced the allocation results of medical school student quotas by university for the 2025 academic year the day before. The total national medical school quota increased from 3,058 to 5,058, and for regional medical schools, it increased from 2,023 to 3,662. The government explained that the quotas were distributed considering the resolution of medical disparities between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, imbalance in medical school quotas, and differences in medical conditions. Accordingly, the medical school quota in Chungbuk increased to 300. This is an increase of 211 from the previous 89 quota at Chungbuk medical schools, with Chungbuk National University increasing by 151 to 200, and Konkuk University Glocal Campus in Chungju increasing by 60 to 100.

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