Will National University Hospitals Be Transferred to the Ministry of Health and Welfare?... Minseok Kim: "Accelerating Efficient Discussions to Prevent Delays"

Expressing Determination to Prevent Government Ministry Disagreements
Accelerating Discussions on Transferring Jurisdiction from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Health and Welfare

Prime Minister Minseok Kim expressed a positive stance on August 25 regarding the issue of transferring jurisdiction over national university hospitals from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Yoon Kim, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, stated at the plenary meeting of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts held at the National Assembly that day, "For national university hospitals to serve as the central hub in the regional essential medical institution cooperation system, their jurisdiction needs to be transferred from the current Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Health and Welfare." He added, "The Lee Jaemyung administration sincerely hopes that the transfer of national university hospitals to the Ministry of Health and Welfare will be successful. Prime Minister, can you take responsibility and ensure this transfer is carried out?"

Prime Minister Minseok Kim is speaking at the plenary meeting of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts held at the National Assembly on August 25, 2025. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

In response, Prime Minister Kim said, "Hasn't the issue of transferring national university hospitals been discussed at the National Assembly level for a long time?" He continued, "I will do my best to accelerate efficient discussions so that differences of opinion among government ministries no longer hinder the decision-making process on this matter."

Until now, national university hospitals have been classified under the Ministry of Education due to their status as affiliated hospitals of medical schools. However, there have been criticisms that separating the hospitals' main functions-providing medical services and establishing policies-from the Ministry of Health and Welfare has resulted in inefficiency.

However, the medical community has expressed concerns that if jurisdiction over national university hospitals is transferred to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, their educational and research functions could be weakened.

In relation to this issue, the National Assembly has seen the introduction of bills such as the "National University Hospital Establishment Act."

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