Suncheon National University wins government approval for new medical school

The government's final approval to establish a medical school at Suncheon National University drew an immediate welcome from the city of Suncheon.

In a statement Wednesday, the city said the decision "is the realization of a long-held wish of residents in the eastern South Jeolla Province and Gwangju region, who have long suffered from healthcare imbalances, and marks a new starting point for the advancement of regional medicine."

The city said it plans to work closely with the government, relevant agencies and Suncheon National University to ensure the new medical school translates into tangible improvements in local healthcare.

Suncheon Mayor Son Hun-mo said the city would "make every effort to prioritize the lives and safety of residents and to build a solid foundation for essential and public medicine in the region through the establishment of the medical school."

Suncheon National University also issued a statement, saying it would "faithfully fulfill its responsibility to work closely with local and central government on everything from securing outstanding faculty and building educational facilities to establishing a university hospital, and to train doctors who study in this region and remain here to care for ailing neighbors."

The Ministry of Education announced Wednesday that it had selected Suncheon National University in South Jeolla Province and Gyeonguk University in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, to establish new national medical schools, with enrollment quotas of 60 and 40 students, respectively.

The ministry set Suncheon National University's quota at 60, below the 100 the university had requested. Gyeonguk University had sought 50 seats but was allocated 40, with the ministry citing the presence of a university hospital at Dongguk University's Wise campus in Gyeongju as a factor in the decision.