National Graduate School of Medicine to Be Established in Namwon... North Jeolla Province’s Long-Sought Goal Achieved

【Financial News, Namwon = Reporter Kang In】 The National Graduate School of Medicine will be established in Namwon, North Jeolla Province.
North Jeolla Province, which has campaigned for the school since Seonam University’s medical school was shut down, will finally see its long-standing goal fulfilled.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said on the 1st that it had held the fourth meeting of the National Graduate School of Medicine Establishment Preparatory Committee and had made a final decision to locate the school in Namwon.
The enrollment quota will be 100 students, with the school aiming to open in 2029 and begin its curriculum in 2030. The first graduates are expected in 2034, while the government has identified securing faculty as its top priority during preparations for the opening.
There had initially been concerns about a dual-track system because education was to take place in Namwon and training in Seoul. However, plans to convert North Jeolla Provincial Namwon Medical Center into a national hospital—National Medical Center Namwon Hospital—and expand its capacity from 100 to 500 beds have laid the foundation for education, training, clinical care, and research to take place at a single location.
The National Graduate School of Medicine is a four-year graduate university that offers only graduate programs. It will select university graduates with diverse experience, and its enrollment quota has been set at 100 in line with the number of physicians to be trained approved by the Health and Medical Policy Deliberative Committee.
Students at the National Graduate School of Medicine will receive support for expenses necessary for their studies, including admission fees, tuition, textbooks, and dormitory fees. From enrollment through the period after graduation, the state will systematically manage their education, training, and placement in public healthcare settings.
After graduation, they will be required to serve for 15 years at administrative agencies, public medical institutions, and other facilities.
The planned site is a 64,792-square-meter plot in Wolrak-dong near Namwon Medical Center. Construction will cost approximately 64 billion won in national funding.
Since Seonam University’s medical school was closed, North Jeolla Province has consistently urged the government to establish the National Graduate School of Medicine to address the region’s medical care shortage. Its efforts to establish the National Graduate School of Medicine, also known as a public medical school, since 2018 have finally borne fruit.
North Jeolla Province Governor Lee Won-taek said, "We were able to reach this point because residents of the province and Namwon, regional political leaders, and relevant institutions came together with one mind despite the many hurdles. We will concentrate our administrative resources on preparations for the opening so that the National Graduate School of Medicine can establish itself as a national educational institution that trains talent responsible for regional, essential, and public healthcare."


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