Assemblyman Kim Won-i urges President Yoon to unconditionally promote the establishment of a medical school in the Jeonnam region

Criticism of 'Conditional' Medical School Establishment... If Jeonnam Continues to Be Neglected, It Will Be Judged in the General Election

"It Is Very Inappropriate for the President to Mention Medical School Establishment with Conditions"

Kim Won-i, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Mokpo City, criticized President Yoon Suk-yeol’s mention of a ‘conditional’ establishment of a medical school in the Jeonnam region during a public discussion on livelihood issues held by the Presidential Office on the 15th through his SNS, and strongly urged the government to push forward with the unconditional establishment of a medical school in Jeonnam.

On the 14th, at the livelihood discussion held at the Jeonnam Provincial Office, President Yoon responded to a question from Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam, by saying, “Regarding the establishment of a national medical school, if Jeonnam decides which university it will be and collects opinions to inform us, we will proceed accordingly.”

Kim Won-i, member of the Democratic Party of Korea

In response, Representative Kim Won-i evaluated, “The establishment of a medical school in the Jeonnam region has been a long-cherished wish of 2 million Jeonnam residents for 30 years, yet the President only mentioned it publicly now, two years into his term. It was not even a main agenda item at the livelihood discussion.”

He continued, “It is highly inappropriate for the President to mention the establishment of a medical school with conditions. Asking Jeonnam to decide which university to establish it at is essentially denying the joint medical school project being promoted by Jeonnam Province along with Mokpo National University and Suncheon National University.”

Furthermore, he strongly criticized, “President Yoon Suk-yeol’s mention of a ‘conditional’ push for the medical school establishment is nothing more than a political calculation to shift the national responsibility onto local governments.”

Representative Kim urged again, “If the government has a firm will, it is appropriate to say that it will push forward with the establishment of a medical school in Jeonnam unconditionally and discuss the detailed plans later with Jeonnam Province. The government should now proceed unconditionally with the establishment of the medical school in Jeonnam and allocate the quota for the new medical school in Jeonnam within the increase in medical school enrollment.”

Finally, he emphasized, “For the past four years, I have desperately appealed through plenary sessions of the National Assembly, the Health and Welfare Committee, one-person protests in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office, and even by shaving my head. If Jeonnam is neglected again this time, the 2 million residents will never stand by quietly in the upcoming general election. The Yoon Suk-yeol administration will definitely be held accountable.”