regional medical schools-establishment

SEJONG, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) -- Two new medical schools will be established at Sunchon National University in the southwestern city of Suncheon and Gyeongkuk National University in the southeastern city of Andong, the education ministry announced Wednesday.

Starting in 2030, Sunchon and Gyeongkuk universities will admit 60 and 40 medical students annually, respectively.

The decision came as part of a key government initiative to establish new medical colleges in regions without medical schools in an effort to improve access to medical services in provincial areas, strengthen public healthcare and address shortages of doctors in essential fields, such as pediatrics and surgery.

A government task force comprising officials from the education and health ministries first selected North Gyeongsang and South Jeolla provinces as sites for the new medical schools after finding they suffer from poor access to medical services and need a foundation for training and retaining physicians.

The government then requested the provincial governments to propose suitable universities to host the schools.

While the North Gyeongsang provincial government recommended Gyeongkuk National University, the selection process in South Jeolla Province faced friction.

Sunchon National University and Mokpo National University had originally sought to jointly host a new medical school following their envisioned merger, but discussions over their merger stalled.

The provincial government of South Jeolla recommended Sunchon National University be named the host of a new medical school based on the evaluation of candidates by a local research institute.

Mokpo National University strongly protested the outcome of the evaluation, claiming the review was done hastily and unfairly, and demanded a re-examination of its application. A lawmaker representing Mokpo even went on a hunger strike last month to protest the provincial government's decision.

The education ministry said it reviewed the entire recommendation process and concluded there were no legal or procedural flaws significant enough to reject the province's proposal.

The government said it will form regional steering committees involving local governments, universities and experts in both provinces to support the rollout, along with a support body, comprising officials from the education and health ministries, to assist the overall process.

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