Jindo County Council Passes Resolution Urging Confirmation of New Medical School at Mokpo National University

"I will fight to the end for the establishment of Mokpo National University College of Medicine"

The Jindo County Council of Jeollanam-do (Chairman Jang Young-woo) urged on the 11th for the immediate confirmation of the establishment of the “Medical School at Mokpo National University” in relation to attracting a national medical school to the Jeonnam region.

Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeollanam-do, announced on the 2nd in a public address that the plan to attract a national medical school in Jeonnam would be pursued by establishing a “single medical school” through a public contest, instead of the previously planned “integrated medical school” approach.

In response, the Jindo County Council stated in a press release, “Jeollanam-do has caused great disappointment to the residents of the western Jeonnam region who have earnestly hoped for the establishment of a medical school at Mokpo National University for over 30 years and have actively supported Jeonnam’s policy initiatives. It is truly difficult to understand the sudden policy shift just about 10 days after applying for the establishment of a national medical school under the government’s ‘integrated medical school’ method.”

Jindo County Council urged the immediate approval of the establishment of the Mokpo National University College of Medicine on the 11th.
[Photo by Jindo County Council]

They continued, “We question whether there was any prior process to persuade the government when deciding such a critical issue, and there has been no visible communication or opinion gathering with the residents, nor cooperation with the provincial council. The distrust in Jeonnam’s administration, which lacks consultation and communication, will only deepen the regional conflicts divided by the medical school attraction and seriously undermine the government’s basic principles regarding medical school quotas,” they criticized.

Furthermore, they emphasized, “Since Mokpo National University first requested a medical school quota allocation in 1990, it has consistently proposed the establishment of a medical school for 34 years. After former President Lee Myung-bak, the ‘establishment of the medical school and university hospital at Mokpo National University’ was adopted as a presidential pledge. Especially during the previous Moon Jae-in administration, the feasibility of establishing a medical school at Mokpo National University was confirmed through a ‘feasibility study,’ so all conditions including verified policy feasibility, establishment environment, and the will of the local residents have already matured.”

They particularly noted, “To build a ‘regionally complete essential and public medical system,’ which is a core national agenda of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, securing medical publicness and resolving medical service gaps in underdeveloped areas are necessary. Compared to the eastern region, the western region’s living infrastructure is generally poor, and from a medical welfare perspective, there is no other policy alternative besides establishing a medical school. We are deeply concerned that the current controversial situation will only provoke extreme regional conflicts and result in the life rights of residents in the western region being neglected once again.”

In conclusion, they stated, “We once again urge Jeollanam-do to reconsider the public contest process and promptly confirm the establishment plan for the medical school at Mokpo National University so that the long-cherished wish of the western region residents, which has been within reach after more than 30 years, does not go up in smoke due to Jeonnam’s hasty decision. We demand Jeonnam’s just and reasonable policy implementation for balanced future development and will fight alongside the local residents until the establishment of the medical school at Mokpo National University is realized.”

Wando = Choi Kyung-pil, Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters just8440@asiae.co.kr

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