Establishment of the National Institute of Dental Science in Cheonan, Gathering the Will of Chungnam Residents

Cheonan City and Chungnam Province Launch Signature Campaign with One Million Residents

Chungnam Province and Cheonan City are launching a province-wide campaign to urge the implementation of the presidential regional pledge to establish the National Institute of Dental Science in Cheonan.

On the 2nd, Cheonan City announced that, together with Chungnam Province, it will conduct a signature campaign aiming for one million signatures from residents across the province by September to expedite the establishment of the National Institute of Dental Science, a pledge made by the 20th president for the Chungnam region.

This signature campaign is being promoted to consolidate the will of the residents so that the National Institute of Dental Science is established in Cheonan as pledged by the president, following the passage of the enabling legislation in the National Assembly last year. However, since the government did not specify the location of the institute, nationwide competition for hosting the institute has caused regional conflicts.

The city plans to conduct both online and offline signature campaigns to achieve the goal of one million signatures. The campaign will focus on public officials, related organizations, private groups, universities, and expatriates, with extensive promotion and signature collection at subway stations, train stations, terminals, and administrative welfare centers.

Cheonan City and Chungnam Province intend to submit the signed petitions before the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s interim report presentation on the feasibility study and basic plan for establishing the institute.

So far, Cheonan City has formed a cooperation body among industry, academia, research, hospitals, and government, including Chungnam Province, Dankook University, Osstem Implant Co., Ltd., Chungnam Dental Association, and Cheonan City Dental Association. They have undertaken various activities to promote the establishment of the dental science institute in Cheonan, such as joint government responses, academic conferences, seminars, forums, and publicity on the necessity of establishing the institute in Cheonan.

Mayor Park Sang-don stated, “A nationwide public contest could cause unnecessary controversy and waste administrative resources, so the establishment of the National Institute of Dental Science in Cheonan, as pledged by the president, should be designated and pursued.” He added, “We ask for the participation and support of many citizens so that the National Institute of Dental Science can be established in Cheonan.”