Min Hyung-bae, mayor of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, issued a final ultimatum to Mokpo National University and Suncheon National University, which have long been in conflict over the establishment of a national medical school and the site of a university hospital. He also hinted that if the two universities fail to reach agreement on establishing an integrated medical school, he would step back from local government mediation and review alternative ways to expand medical infrastructure.
Mayor Min explained the status of the Jeonnam national medical school initiative at a citizens' town hall meeting held at the Muan office of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City on the 9th, saying, "I will wait for an answer until the 13th."
Mayor Min's transition committee had previously proposed a compromise plan to separately establish the medical school in Mokpo and the university hospital in Suncheon. Under the plan, a 500-bed university hospital would first be built in Suncheon, after which an additional university hospital would be established in Mokpo by acquiring and expanding existing medical facilities. For the medical school functions, the plan also included placing the headquarters and basic medical sciences at one campus first, while assigning clinical and theoretical practical training to the other.
"Originally I said until the 9th, but they didn't give an answer," Mayor Min said. "I've set it for the 13th, and if no conclusion is reached by the 13th, I intend to step back." However, he drew a line, saying that "stepping back" does not mean indifference toward the Jeonnam national medical school or regional medical issues.
Currently, Suncheon National University is gathering the opinions of its members through meetings such as university member briefings, and Mokpo National University is also reviewing the proposal. As the official positions of the two universities have not yet been released, it remains to be seen whether the Grand Transformation Planning Committee's proposal for an integrated medical school will lead to an actual agreement.
Meanwhile, an organizational overhaul of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City is expected to be carried out as early as early August. Overall, 7 departments will be added, and additional departments will be placed at the Eastern and Muan offices, whose functions were relatively weak.
The Gwangju office will decrease by 10 departments from 69 to 59. The Eastern office will increase from 12 to 21, and the Muan office will increase from 58 to 66 departments.
