"Sunchon National University teaching hospital proposal must be accepted"
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Moon-su, who represents the Suncheon-Gwangyang-Gokseong-Gurye-A constituency, said Monday that the most common feedback he hears from residents is that they used to feel stressed even before arriving at local events because of the visible tension between the previous mayor and himself. "They wouldn't even look at each other — it was very awkward and uncomfortable," he said.
Kim made the remarks during a morning appearance on KBS Suncheon Broadcasting Station's radio program "Sisa Chojum, Jeollanam-do Dongbu-imnida," sharing his thoughts on the recent local elections. He said that under the previous administration, his speaking slot at official events was routinely pushed to the back or dropped altogether, but that newly elected Suncheon Mayor Son Hun-mo of the Democratic Party had already shown him consideration by asking him to give greetings first. "That makes me feel I need to work even harder," he said.
In the June 3 local elections, Democratic Party candidate Son Hun-mo won the Suncheon mayoral race with 46.85 percent of the vote, or 71,290 ballots, defeating incumbent independent candidate Noh Gwan-gyu — who was seeking a fourth non-consecutive term — with 40.77 percent (62,040 votes), and Progressive Party candidate Lee Seong-su with 12.38 percent (18,834 votes). Kim and outgoing Mayor Noh are widely known to have had a long-running rivalry.
On the region's most pressing issue — securing a medical school and affiliated teaching hospital for Sunchon National University — Kim said the government has indicated that only one medical school and one affiliated hospital are possible for the integrated university combining Sunchon National University and Mokpo National University. "If they offer at least the affiliated hospital, we must accept it," he said. He added that placing the hospital in Suncheon, where medical demand is higher than in Mokpo, would allow for more stable operations and reduce the risk of deficits. He said this is also the position of Special City Mayor Min Hyeong-bae, whose final proposal would give Mokpo the medical school along with the university's main administrative headquarters — since a medical school alone would be too little — and that a response was due Monday. "I am worried," he said.
Kim also cited examples from other universities with medical schools.
He noted that Ulsan University's medical school uses Asan Medical Center in Seoul as its clinical training hospital, and that medical schools in Gangwon Province also conduct their clinical training in Seoul. "Mokpo and Suncheon can fully carry out education and clinical training in the same way," he said. He pushed back against concerns raised by Sunchon National University that it would lose the initiative to Mokpo National University, arguing the opposite is true. "The economic impact of a university hospital is far greater, and I find it hard to agree with the concern that the western region would become the center while the eastern region's hospital is left as an empty shell," he said.
Kim also said he has begun to wonder whether the president of Sunchon National University is trying to derail the proposal to protect vested interests. "I told them that if that is the case, Sunchon National University's side should come back with a counter-proposal and I would personally step in to mediate, but the response was negative," he said.
Kim also spent about 25 minutes discussing his reasons for sponsoring legislation to establish special youth zones in the region that would supply young residents with residential and cultural facilities.
parkds@heraldcorp.com
