Assemblyman Kim Won-i, First Bill of the 22nd National Assembly: Special Act on the Establishment of Mokpo Medical School Introduced as Lead Sponsor

Establishment of a Medical School with Around 100 Students at National Mokpo University

"Mokpo Citizens Have Dedicated 34 Years to Bringing a Medical School to Mokpo University... Will Definitely Achieve It in the 22nd National Assembly"

Kim Won-i, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Mokpo City), has introduced the "Special Act on the Establishment of the College of Medicine at National Mokpo University" as the first bill of the 22nd National Assembly.

The special act for establishing the Mokpo College of Medicine stipulates the establishment of a medical school at National Mokpo University located in Mokpo City, with an admission quota of around 100 students, to be determined by the Minister of Education in consultation with the Minister of Health and Welfare.

It also mandates that the government provide the necessary budget for the construction of facilities and equipment for the medical school, and allows for subsidies to cover expenses related to conducting research projects in industrial health and advanced medical fields, as well as the establishment and operation of specialized curricula.

Democratic Party of Korea Representative Kim Won-i (Mokpo) [Photo by Kim Won-i's Office]

In particular, students admitted through the regional public healthcare track are required to serve for 10 years at public health institutions or in public health duties in the Jeonnam region after obtaining their medical licenses. Those selected through the regional public healthcare track may receive support for admission fees, tuition, and other expenses.

Recently, the government confirmed the admission quota for medical schools for the 2025 academic year at 4,610 students, an increase of 1,497 from the previous year. However, there have been ongoing criticisms that merely increasing medical school quotas cannot save the local healthcare system on the brink of collapse.

In fact, the number of active doctors per 1,000 people is 3.7 on average in OECD countries, while South Korea has only 2.6. By region, metropolitan cities such as Seoul (3.2), Gwangju (2.6), and Busan (2.4) exceed the average, but Jeonnam has only 1.7, highlighting a severe regional healthcare imbalance.

To address this healthcare disparity, there is growing public support for establishing a national medical school in Jeonnam, the only region nationwide without a medical school.

Notably, Mokpo University has consistently requested the establishment of a medical school from the Ministry of Education since 1990, and both Mokpo University and the citizens of Mokpo have devoted themselves to the campaign for establishing a medical school for the past 34 years.

According to a feasibility study on the establishment of the College of Medicine at Mokpo University conducted by the Ministry of Education in 2019, the cost-benefit analysis (B/C) was 1.70, and the economic impact from the establishment of the medical school and university hospital was estimated at around 2.4 trillion won, demonstrating economic viability.

President Yoon Suk-yeol also expressed his commitment to establishing a medical school in the Jeonnam region at the Jeonnam Livelihood Discussion Forum in March, stating, "If Jeonnam Province gathers opinions on which university should host the new national medical school and informs us, we will proceed accordingly."

Rep. Kim Won-i said, "The citizens of Mokpo have longed for and worked toward attracting a medical school for the past 34 years. Without such dedication, the current discussions on establishing a medical school in the Jeonnam region would not have existed. I will do my utmost to ensure the establishment of the Mokpo College of Medicine in the 22nd National Assembly."