Candidate Choi Dae-jip Announces Pledge to Attract Large Metropolitan Hospitals for 'Medical Paradise Mokpo'

Consignment Management of Large Hospitals in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, Attracting a Tertiary Hospital to Mokpo

Doctors Should Be Attracted Before Medical Schools... Reasons Behind the Slogan of 'Attracting Medical Schools' Remaining Unfulfilled

Choi Dae-jip, the Sonamudang candidate for Mokpo City National Assembly, held an emergency press conference at 2 p.m. on the 1st at his campaign office located in Okam-dong, where he announced pledges to entrust the management of existing private or national medical institutions in Mokpo to large metropolitan hospitals and to attract a tertiary general hospital to the Mokpo area.

Choi Dae-jip, a graduate of Seoul National University College of Medicine and former president of the Korean Medical Association, proposed the concept of ‘Medical Heaven Mokpo’ when he declared his candidacy for the Mokpo City National Assembly election on the 16th of last month.

During the election process, Candidate Choi refined this idea and presented a pledge to expand Mokpo’s medical infrastructure.

Candidate Choi Dae-jip of Sonamudang is announcing a pledge to attract a large hospital in Mokpo to the metropolitan area.
[Photo by Candidate Choi Dae-jip's Election Office]

At the press conference, Candidate Choi promised, “We will make Mokpo the best medical heaven in the southwest region by entrusting the management of existing private or public medical institutions in Mokpo to large metropolitan hospitals and further attracting a tertiary general hospital to the Mokpo area.”

He stated, “The success of medical institutions depends on securing medical personnel. However, due to regional characteristics, private and public medical institutions in Mokpo find it difficult to secure excellent medical staff and generally suffer from chronic deficits, making operation difficult without government subsidies. It is urgent to introduce management innovation through advanced management from large metropolitan hospitals.”

He added, “Mokpo needs to attract ‘doctors’ before establishing a medical school. First, it is necessary to build the best medical infrastructure in Mokpo. If Mokpo becomes an environment where doctors from existing metropolitan areas can come, attracting a medical school will no longer be a distant goal.”

Finally, he said, “In the long term, we should also attract branches of large metropolitan hospitals to Mokpo. We aim to concentrate medical patients from the southwest region in Mokpo and subsequently develop medical products linked to tourism.”

On the same day, Candidate Choi also revealed plans for rehabilitation and care programs utilizing Mokpo’s excellent marine environment, as well as Namdo therapeutic meals for patients.

Additionally, with Mokpo becoming capable of international cruise ship arrivals this year, he promised to revitalize the local economy by expanding medical tourism targeting foreigners.