National Suncheon University to establish medical school, admit 60 new students starting in 2030

【Financial News, Suncheon—Hwang Tae-jong, Staff Reporter】National Suncheon University plans to establish a medical school and begin admitting 60 new students in 2030.
On the 4th, Suncheon University said that the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that day, in their announcement on “Selection of Regions and Universities for New Medical Schools and Allocation of Enrollment Quotas,” that they would establish medical schools at National Suncheon University in Jeonnam-Gwangju and Gyeongkuk National University in North Gyeongsang Province. The schools are being planned with the goal of beginning student admissions in 2030, with quotas of 60 at Suncheon University and 40 at Gyeongkuk National University.
The government has previously pursued, as a national policy task, the establishment of medical schools in regions without one in order to strengthen regional, essential and public healthcare.
In a welcoming message titled “A Message to the Citizens of Jeonnam-Gwangju” issued that day, National Suncheon University President Lee Byeong-un said, “Today, the government made the final decision to establish a national medical school in Jeonnam-Gwangju at National Suncheon University, with an enrollment quota of 60. The long-awaited wish of our region, which we have waited about 30 years for, has finally come true.” He added, “Together with all of you, we welcome the government’s decision.”
He added, “Tensions between regions ran deep during the effort to secure the school, and I think some people may still feel uneasy. We will listen with greater humility as we establish the medical school and develop it into a school for all of Jeonnam-Gwangju, regardless of east or west.”
President Lee particularly emphasized, “Establishing a medical school is not the end, but the starting point for change. We will create a place where workers who are injured on the job can receive treatment right away and work with peace of mind; where older people do not have to take the first train at dawn to seek care at a major hospital in Seoul; and where children can get timely treatment even if they fall ill in the middle of the night.”
He continued, “We will work continuously with local and central governments and prepare without disruption, from securing faculty and equipping educational facilities to building a university hospital. We will train doctors who study here, stay here and care for their sick neighbors,” he said.
President Lee concluded, “We will create a healthcare environment where every citizen of Jeonnam-Gwangju can feel, ‘It couldn’t be better to have a medical school and university hospital close by.’ We will join forces with local governments, including the integrated special city and Suncheon City, civic groups and local medical experts, and faithfully fulfill our responsibilities as a national university that has walked alongside the region.”

[email protected] Hwang Tae-jong Reporter