Gyeonggi-do to Establish 'Innovative Public Medical Centers' in Namyangju and Yangju Cities

Expectations to Reduce Medical Disparities in Northeast Gyeonggi Region
Sites in Namyangju Baekbong District and Yangju Okjeong New Town
Integrated Medical and Care Services 'Innovative Public Hospitals'
Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center Expands from 6 to 8 Locations with 2 New Sites

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon announced the establishment of an 'Innovative Public Medical Center' in Namyangju and Yangju on the 11th.

The sites for establishing public medical centers to address healthcare disparities in the northeastern region of Gyeonggi Province have been confirmed as Namyangju City and Yangju City. With this, the Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center will total eight locations. The newly established public medical centers will be built as ‘innovative public hospitals’ integrating medical care and caregiving services.

On the 11th, Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon held a press conference for the ‘Great Renovation Project of Northern Gyeonggi’ and announced the results of the site selection contest for the public medical centers in northeastern Gyeonggi, part of the infrastructure expansion plan for northern Gyeonggi.

Governor Kim stated, “The public medical centers in northeastern Gyeonggi have been confirmed for Namyangju and Yangju. Multiple candidate sites were selected reflecting the strict review and opinions of the Medical Center Establishment Review Committee,” adding, “The newly selected public medical centers will operate as ‘innovative public hospitals’ that integrate medical and caregiving services.”

Since June last year, the province has discussed the direction for establishing public medical centers through the ‘Northeastern Gyeonggi Medical System Improvement Committee,’ composed of health and medical experts. Subsequently, after establishing the plan (February 26) and conducting a demand survey (May 31 to July 15), applications were received from seven cities and counties: Yangju, Namyangju, Uijeongbu, Dongducheon, Gapyeong, Yangpyeong, and Yeoncheon. To ensure fair and objective evaluation, on July 26, the province formed a ‘Medical Center Establishment Review Committee’ of 10 members recommended by the provincial council, including public officials and experts in hospital establishment and operation. The committee selected the final sites through a first preliminary and quantitative evaluation (August 13), a second on-site inspection (August 22), and a third qualitative evaluation (September 9).

The province plans to conduct feasibility studies and preliminary feasibility investigations aiming to start construction around 2030.

Namyangju City owns a 33,800㎡ comprehensive medical facility site in Baekbong District, Hopyeong-dong, recognized for excellent accessibility due to its connection with major transportation networks such as the Suseok-Hopyeong Urban Expressway, National Route 46, Gyeongchun Line, and the Seoul Metropolitan Area 2nd Ring Expressway. The expected service area population reaches 1.1 million, including residents of Namyangju, Guri, Gapyeong, and Yangpyeong.

Yangju City proposed a 26,400㎡ comprehensive medical facility site within Okjeong New Town. Convenient transportation networks such as Line 1 Deokgye Station and Line 7 Okjeong Station (opening in 2026), along with its location at the center of northern Gyeonggi, are expected to serve approximately 1.01 million people in Yeoncheon, Pocheon, Dongducheon, Yangju, and Uijeongbu.

An innovative public hospital expands the role of a public medical center beyond basic medical services to include caregiving, equipping it with integrated functions for responding to infectious disease crises and addressing aging population needs.

It will also innovate services through groundbreaking digitalization, strengthened linkage with university hospitals, and expanded education and training for essential medical personnel. Operational efficiency will be significantly improved by adopting private hospital management techniques, cloud-based IT systems, and expanding cooperation with regional partner hospitals and public health center branches.

With the establishment of two public medical centers in northeastern Gyeonggi, the province expects to resolve the urgent issue of healthcare disparities and greatly enhance the quality of life for residents in the northern region.

The province will also develop tailored support measures for cities and counties not selected to improve the northern region’s medical system.

Dongducheon, Yangpyeong, Gapyeong, and Yeoncheon will be designated as Gyeonggi’s first ‘medical vulnerable area base medical institutions,’ receiving a total of 2.7 billion KRW to support operating expenses and facility equipment acquisition. In particular, Yeoncheon County, which faces a shortage of healthcare personnel, will receive 2.9 billion KRW to support additional physician staffing, expand provincial subsidies for personnel expenses, and prioritize the placement of public health doctors, thereby strengthening the capabilities of Yeoncheon County Health Medical Center.

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province currently has six public hospitals: three in southern Gyeonggi (Suwon, Icheon, Anseong) and three in northern Gyeonggi (Uijeongbu, Paju, Pocheon).