Momentum Builds for Specialized Ulsan Medical Center for Children and Adolescents; Committee Including Mayor Kim Sang-wook Launched

[Financial News Ulsan—Reporter Choi Su-sang] The lack of medical infrastructure for children and adolescents in Ulsan is not a recent problem. It is so serious that it is contributing to population decline by affecting the city’s living conditions. The only way to address the issue is to establish the Ulsan Medical Center, and Ulsan Metropolitan City has launched a committee that includes Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-wook to expedite the project.
According to Ulsan Metropolitan City on the 21st, the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) counted 60,557 beds at public medical institutions across the nation’s 17 metropolitan cities and provinces in 2024. Gyeonggi Province had the largest number, with 8,582 beds. Among the eight special and metropolitan cities, Seoul had 8,383, followed by Daegu with 3,674, Busan with 3,649, Daejeon with 2,928, Gwangju with 2,545, Incheon with 1,330, and Sejong City with 408. Ulsan had the fewest, with 149 beds, ranking last among all cities and provinces.
For Ulsan, which has only four children's hospitals and 33 clinics offering the relevant department, the shortage of public medical institutions capable of providing pediatric care is the most urgent issue to resolve.
The key to establishing the Ulsan Medical Center is securing an exemption from the preliminary feasibility study.
The project to establish the Ulsan Medical Center gained momentum in January 2021, when its implementation plan was drawn up. However, it was stalled after failing to pass a feasibility reassessment by the Korea Development Institute (KDI) in 2023. The project is now moving forward again after the establishment of a Ulsan Medical Center specializing in pediatric care was ultimately selected as a regional campaign pledge of the 21st president in June 2025.
Ulsan Metropolitan City plans to make every effort to draw up a new project plan with significantly enhanced pediatric care functions, have it included in a national policy project, and secure an exemption from the preliminary feasibility study.
Under the project plan, the Ulsan Medical Center will be built as a 200-bed general hospital in the area around Lot 11-5 in Songjeong-dong, Buk-gu, Ulsan.
To this end, Ulsan Metropolitan City launched the Committee for the Establishment of a Ulsan Medical Center Specializing in Pediatric Care. A total of 79 people are participating, including Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-wook and Lee Young-ha, chair of the Ulsan Metropolitan Council, as co-chairs; Ulsan Superintendent of Education Jo Yong-sik; the heads of the five district and county governments; local lawmakers; former and current political figures; and representatives from the medical and academic communities and civic organizations.
A city official said, "Starting with the launch of the committee, we will organize a campaign to collect 100,000 signatures and build broad public support among Ulsan residents. We will also swiftly carry out prerequisite administrative procedures, including lifting development-restricted zones."
[email protected] Choi Su-sang Reporter