Preliminary Candidate Shin Jung-hoon Unveils a Bold “Hyperconnected Smart Essential Medical” Strategy

Decision entrusted to a data-driven medical committee
Proposing deficit responsibility guarantee and medical autonomy

Shin Junghoon

Shin Jung-hoon, a preliminary candidate for the Mayor of the Integrated Special Metropolitan City of Jeonnam-Gwangju, has unveiled a bold “Hyperconnected Smart Essential Medical Master Plan” aimed at addressing disparities in healthcare and innovating the public healthcare system.

He is seeking to move away from the current debate, which is mired in competition to attract medical schools, and instead plans to overhaul the healthcare system using a data-driven approach.

On March 19, Shin stated in a press release, “Healthcare is the most pressing matter of life for residents,” adding, “While people are obsessed with tallying votes over the location of a national medical school, regional hub hospitals and essential personnel are rapidly collapsing.”

He further emphasized, “Rather than a medical school building that will be completed in more than a decade, what is urgently needed are practical solutions to immediately address the current blind spots in healthcare.”

He identified four core pillars for this initiative: ▲Data ▲Governance ▲Accountability Guarantee ▲Autonomy.

First, he plans to establish an “AI-based Integrated Public Healthcare Data System” and a “Medical Command and Control Center” that connects tertiary hospitals, secondary hospitals, public health centers, and 119 (fire and emergency services) within the Integrated Special Metropolitan City.

Through this, the plan is to monitor surgical personnel and ICU availability in real time, fundamentally eliminating the so-called “emergency room ping-pong” phenomenon.

In addition, the selection of locations for the national medical school and its affiliated hospital will be entrusted not to political circles, but to an independent “Integrated Special City Medical Committee.” By involving experts and citizens in this structure, the aim is to make data-driven scientific decisions and ensure both continuity and professionalism in policy.

For secondary hospitals, which are central to regional healthcare, a “Deficit Responsibility Guarantee System” will be introduced. The Integrated Special Metropolitan City will fully compensate for structural deficits incurred while providing essential medical care—such as emergency trauma and cardiovascular treatment—in order to prevent the collapse of regional healthcare.

Furthermore, the plan is to break away from the uniform, central government-led budget structure by securing a “Special Autonomy for Health and Medical Care” and promoting the transfer of financial authority through a block grant system. The city also intends to directly train and nurture medical personnel who will settle in the region through housing and research support.

Shin stated, “Before constructing buildings, it is essential to first restore the collapsed pillars and establish governance to connect scattered resources. Jeonnam and Gwangju will unite to create a fully integrated medical autonomous city where no one is left behind.” He added, “We must shift to scientific medical administration based on data and science.”

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