Distrust in Jeonnam Province's Single Medical School Contest, Confirming Public Sentiment in Eastern Jeonnam Region

More than 7 out of 10 Residents in Eastern Jeonnam Distrust Jeonnam Province's Public Contest

97.5% of Eastern Jeonnam Residents Support the Establishment of Suncheon National University College of Medicine

Suncheon City and Suncheon National University in Jeollanam-do jointly commissioned Korea Research, a professional public opinion research institute, to conduct a telephone interview survey from the 24th to the 26th targeting 2,500 residents in the eastern region of Jeollanam-do (Suncheon, Yeosu, Gwangyang, Gokseong, Gurye, Goheung, Boseong).

It was found that 73.8% of residents in the eastern region (Suncheon 77.3%, Yeosu 75.9%, Gwangyang 77.6%, etc.) responded that they do not trust the single medical school recruitment method by Jeollanam-do.

[Image provided by Suncheon-si]

Furthermore, 97.5% of residents in the eastern region supported the establishment of a medical school at Suncheon National University. By area, not only the three cities of Suncheon (98.4%), Yeosu (98.4%), and Gwangyang (97.3%) but also the remaining four counties showed overwhelming figures, confirming that the public sentiment of the entire eastern region of Jeollanam-do has united.

When asked about the concentration of major institutions and medical facilities in the western region of Jeollanam-do, 84.1% (Suncheon 85.4%, Yeosu 88.4%, Gwangyang 86.6%) responded that it is ‘unfair’.

Additionally, when asked to evaluate the fairness of the recent medical school establishment research project results disclosed by Jeollanam-do, as many as 79.8% answered ‘unfair’.

These survey results are analyzed to reveal that not only Suncheon residents but also the majority of residents in the eastern region of Jeollanam-do do not trust the medical school recruitment administration led by Jeollanam-do.

No Gwan-gyu, Mayor of Suncheon, urged that since this survey clearly shows that the majority of residents in the eastern region do not want Jeollanam-do’s recruitment promotion that maximizes east-west conflict, and since trust has been lost and Jeollanam-do has no legal authority, the recruitment procedure should be immediately stopped and the Ministry of Education should proceed with the establishment of the medical school according to legal procedures.