Seven heads of South Jeolla's eastern municipalities unite on key regional issues

Five joint petitions adopted, including calls to attract public institutions and establish a medical school and hospital at Sunchon National University

Seven municipalities in the eastern region of the proposed Jeonnam-Gwangju integrated special city gathered to forge a united front on major local issues, including the relocation of public institutions, port affairs and the expansion of essential medical services.

According to Yeosu, about 70 people attended a meeting held at Yeosu City Hall on Saturday — including the heads and deputy heads of the seven eastern municipalities and relevant civil servants — for the second mayors and county chiefs forum of the 2026 Eastern Region Mutual Cooperation Council of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City.

The seven municipalities had agreed in June at the first forum to establish the council. On Saturday, they formalized its launch by confirming the body's official name — the Eastern Region Mutual Cooperation Council of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City — and adopting its operating rules.

The group then adopted five joint petitions and agreed to pursue them collectively: priority placement of public institutions in the eastern region during the second round of public institution relocations; preservation of the independence and expertise of the Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority; expansion of essential medical infrastructure across the eastern region; strengthening the status and authority of the eastern branch office; and establishment of a medical school and university hospital at Sunchon National University.

The petition on expanding essential medical infrastructure — proposed by Yeosu — highlighted the eastern region's high exposure to industrial accidents and large-scale disasters, as well as strong demand for emergency transport from remote islands and mountainous areas, while pointing to a persistent shortage of the medical personnel and facilities needed to designate regional essential medical institutions.

To guarantee residents' right to survival and basic medical care, the seven municipalities called for support to expand medical personnel and facilities at eastern-region hospitals through a special account for regional essential healthcare and the designation of additional regional emergency medical centers. They also asked the special city government and the central government to gradually build out critical and emergency medical infrastructure and to distribute new medical facilities in a way that accounts for emergency transport demand.

"The eastern region is home to a concentration of national industrial complexes, which drives high demand for industrial accident response and critical and emergency care," Yeosu Mayor Seo Yeong-hak said. "That makes it essential to expand the medical foundation in a way that reflects the region's distinct characteristics."

The mayors and county chiefs, along with their deputies, also agreed to cooperate actively in drawing visitors to the 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo, which opens Sept. 5.