Mokpo Mayor Park Hong-ryul Respects Mokpo University and Suncheon University 'Integration Agreement'

Expected Role in National Balanced Development and Regional Win-Win Growth
Full Support Requested for Building Medical Infrastructure in Jeonnam Province

Park Hong-ryul, Mayor of Mokpo City, expressed his respect on the 18th for the agreement between National Mokpo University and National Suncheon University, which led to the integration of universities to attract a medical school to the Jeonnam region.

On the National Medical School Attraction Wind Road last September, Mayor Park Hong-ryul (third from the left) and President Song Ha-cheol are praying. Provided by Mokpo City

Regarding the agreement made on the 15th, Mayor Park said, “I believe this is the result of the efforts of Jeollanam-do and the officials of both universities who must have pondered deeply over the reality of declining school-age population and the policy of one province, one national university.”

He also evaluated, “The integration of the two universities will be the cornerstone for growing into Korea’s ‘top-tier hub university’ and will play a key role in national balanced development and regional co-prosperity as regional hub national universities.”

He added, “Furthermore, I hope that the establishment of a medical school and university hospital based on the integration of the two universities will be the starting point for building a comprehensive regional medical system in Jeonnam and ensuring the right to life for all residents.”

Mokpo City requested Jeollanam-do for full support in securing government cooperation for the prompt and responsible fulfillment of government promises, the swift allocation of medical school quotas for the integrated university for the 2026 academic year, and securing finances and building medical infrastructure for university hospitals in both the eastern and western regions.

In particular, he emphasized that the medical school for the Jeonnam region must be established in Mokpo, the central city of the western Jeonnam area.

Mayor Park Hong-ryul strongly asserted, “There is a necessity and historical significance that the affiliated hospital of the integrated university’s medical school must be established in Mokpo, the western regional hub city surrounding island areas such as Sinan, Jindo, and Wando, which are the most medically underserved areas in Jeonnam.”

He also proposed to the government that “Considering the poor financial conditions of the 22 cities and counties in Jeonnam, the funds required for establishing the integrated university’s medical school and affiliated hospital should be fully supported by national funds due to the establishment of a national hospital.”

However, despite the 34 years of efforts by Mokpo City and National Mokpo University, he expressed deep regret that the agreement on the ‘establishment of the integrated medical school’ did not clearly specify which university the medical school would belong to.