As the controversy surrounding the selection of candidate universities for the establishment of a national medical school in Jeonnam escalates into legal disputes, Mokpo National University has demanded that the site acquisition plan submitted by Sunchon National University be re-evaluated based on the plans presented at the time of assessment, rather than on potential post-evaluation adjustments.
Specifically, there are concerns about whether Sunchon National University's proposal for a 'free lease of land owned by Suncheon City' was a viable option for establishing the medical school and how this was verified during the evaluation process.
Mokpo University President Song Ha-cheol stated in a press release on September 14, "The key issue is not whether the site acquisition method can be supplemented after the evaluation, but whether the predetermined evaluation criteria were properly applied based on the plans and supporting documents submitted at the time of evaluation."
According to Mokpo University, Sunchon National University included in its proposal that it would secure land for the medical school through a free lease of land owned by Suncheon City, thereby resolving site issues earlier than other candidate universities.
Mokpo University argues that this is where the appropriateness of the evaluation must be scrutinized.
Regardless of the possibility that the government may acquire the land or secure ownership or usage rights through other means after the evaluation, the question is whether the evaluation committee verified whether the plan itself met relevant laws and requirements for establishing a medical school at the time of assessment.
President Song Ha-cheol emphasized, "Evaluations should be based on the materials submitted at the time of evaluation," and pointed out that explaining how issues can be resolved through new methods after the evaluation is a different matter from justifying the appropriateness of the plans submitted at that time.
Mokpo University is particularly questioning the evaluation results regarding 'certainty of site acquisition.'
According to Mokpo University, this evaluation criterion was scored out of five points, with both Mokpo University, which proposed national land, and Sunchon National University, which submitted a plan to utilize land owned by Suncheon City, receiving scores of 4.83.
Mokpo University insists that there needs to be a clear explanation of the specific reasoning behind awarding the same score to two sites with different ownership and acquisition methods.
The final evaluation scores for the candidate universities were 89.15 for Sunchon National University and 87.85 for Mokpo National University, a difference of 1.30 points. Given the narrow margin, Mokpo University argues that the verification process for individual evaluation criteria and the basis for score calculation are directly linked to the credibility of the results.
Mokpo University has also called for public confirmation of the criteria for handling 'false entries or entries that differ significantly from the facts' included in the evaluation operation plan.
If there were aspects of the site acquisition plan submitted at the time of evaluation that were difficult to implement or factually incorrect, the evaluation agency must clarify whether it verified these issues, what judgments were made if they were verified, and whether any penalties were applied.
However, whether Sunchon National University's submitted site plan violated relevant laws or constituted 'false or significantly misleading entries' according to the evaluation operation plan should be determined by comprehensively reviewing relevant laws, submitted materials, and evaluation criteria.
Mokpo University also emphasizes that rather than making definitive legal judgments, the focus should be on disclosing what reviews and judgments the evaluation agency made based on the materials at that time.
President Song stated, "What Sunchon National University submitted at the time of evaluation was not a plan for the government to purchase the land, but a plan to secure land for the medical school by utilizing land owned by Suncheon City," and argued that any changes made after the issues were raised should be distinguished from justifying the appropriateness of the plans submitted at the time of evaluation.
He added, "Mokpo University proposed national land as the site for the medical school from the beginning," and emphasized the need for an explanation of how the different conditions for site acquisition were verified in the evaluation and why they received the same score.
President Song also stressed that this controversy should not be viewed merely as a competition between Mokpo University and Sunchon National University.
He remarked, "If plans can be changed or supplemented after the evaluation, one must question the significance of setting submission deadlines and requiring supporting documents and evaluation criteria," and asserted, "What is needed now is not an explanation of post-evaluation supplements, but confirmation that the criteria were properly applied at the time of evaluation."
He concluded, "If the evaluation was conducted fairly, it should be sufficiently explained through the submitted materials and evaluation basis, and if any incorrect aspects are confirmed, correcting them is the way to restore the credibility of the evaluation."
Meanwhile, in the selection results for the candidate universities for the national medical school in Jeonnam, Sunchon National University received a score of 89.15, while Mokpo National University received 87.85, resulting in Sunchon National University being selected as the recommended candidate by a margin of 1.30 points. Mokpo University has since demanded a re-evaluation regarding site acquisition, faculty recruitment plans, the composition of evaluation committee members, and the application of evaluation criteria, and has initiated legal procedures, including a request for a stay of execution related to the selection and recommendation of candidate universities.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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