Opposition to the selection of a candidate for a national medical school in the southwestern region of Jeonnam is spreading from local government leaders to city councils.
On September 10, the nine city and county councils in the southwestern region issued a joint statement calling for the immediate withdrawal of the candidate recommendations for the establishment of a national medical school in the integrated city of Gwangju, urging the Ministry of Education to directly select the candidates.
This follows a joint response from local government leaders the previous day, as the local councils, representing the residents, voiced their concerns, indicating that the opposition to the establishment of a medical school at Mokpo National University is gaining traction beyond political circles and resonating throughout the community.
The joint statement included participation from the Mokpo City Council, as well as councils from Gangjin, Haenam, Yeongam, Muan, Hampyeong, Wando, Jindo, and Sinan.
The councils emphasized the significance of '36 years' in their statement.
They noted that the establishment of a national medical school at Mokpo National University has been a long-standing aspiration of the residents of the southwestern region for 36 years, asserting that the establishment of the medical school is not merely about the interests of a specific region or university, but rather a matter of addressing the medical gap in Jeonnam and safeguarding the lives and health of the residents.
The residents of the southwestern region have not simply been waiting to attract a medical school to their area for 36 years. Their underlying demand is for a healthcare environment that ensures timely treatment for critically ill and emergency patients, regardless of where they live, thereby safeguarding the golden hour of life.
In particular, the joint statement directly questioned the transparency of the evaluation process and the small score difference between the candidate universities.
The councils pointed out that the final score difference between Mokpo National University and Suncheon National University was only 1.30 points, arguing that if such a narrow margin determines the outcome of a 36-year-long aspiration, the evaluation criteria and process must be thoroughly verified for objectivity and fairness.
They demanded that the detailed evaluation criteria, scoring, individual university scores and their bases, evaluation materials, as well as the composition and expertise of the review committee, including any potential conflicts of interest, be transparently disclosed throughout the selection process. They insisted that residents should not be required to accept the recommendation results without verification and transparency.
The council leadership emphasized that the criteria for selecting candidate universities for the national medical school should be based on medical realities rather than political judgments or regional biases between the eastern and western parts of the province.
They argued that factors such as medical vulnerability, essential medical gaps, accessibility, demographic changes, and long-term medical demand should be comprehensively reviewed. If the integrated city of Gwangju cannot ensure the fairness and objectivity of the selection process, the Ministry of Education should intervene and select candidates based on objective criteria.
With local councils now joining the collective response, the issue of the national medical school is evolving beyond mere competition between universities to a matter of the basic medical rights of the residents in the southwestern region.
Yang Geun-hyung, a 55-year-old resident of Namak, stated, "What we have been waiting for over 36 years is not to see which university wins or loses. We have been waiting for a minimum healthcare environment that allows us to receive treatment nearby when we are sick and not to have to travel long distances in emergencies."
He added, "The medical school that our parents' generation began waiting for is now being awaited by the next generation. If the decision was made based on a 1.30-point difference, shouldn't the evaluation process and basis be made more transparent so that all residents can accept the results?"
The nine city and county councils clearly outlined three demands: they called on the mayor of the integrated city of Gwangju, Min Hyung-bae, to withdraw the candidate selection and recommendation decision, urged the Ministry of Education to halt the ongoing follow-up procedures, and demanded a reassessment of the candidates based on a comprehensive reflection of long-term healthcare development plans, demographic changes, regional medical disparities, medical vulnerability, essential medical gaps, and accessibility.
With local councils now stepping forward following the local government leaders, the collective response from the southwestern region regarding the national medical school issue is expected to intensify.
For the residents of the southwestern region who have waited 36 years for a national medical school, this controversy is not merely about university selection. It is a desperate demand that the opportunity for treatment and the golden hour of life should not vary based on where one lives.
In the closing of their joint statement, the nine city and county councils asserted, "We cannot conclude 36 years of aspirations amid hasty and unfair controversies," reiterating their call for the withdrawal of the candidate recommendations and for the Ministry of Education to directly select candidates through a fair and transparent process that residents can accept.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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