Mayors of Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang urged the government on September 17 to expedite the follow-up review for Suncheon University, which has been selected as a candidate site for a national medical school.
Yeosu Mayor Seo Young-hak, Suncheon Mayor Son Hoon-mo, and Gwangyang Mayor Park Sung-hyun convened the first extraordinary meeting of the Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang Administrative Council in Nam-gu, Gwangju, to adopt a joint statement.
Prior to a meeting of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Mayors, County Heads, and District Heads Council held at the same location, they decided to deliver the joint statement to relevant government departments, the National Assembly, and the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City.
In the statement, they expressed gratitude for the fair and objective review process that led to Suncheon University being recommended as a candidate for the national medical school. They emphasized the need to respect the selection results and urged the community to unite to ensure the prompt establishment of the medical school and university hospital.
They also called on the government to conduct the review for the establishment of the medical school at Suncheon University fairly and swiftly.
The mayors requested that the Gwangju Special City support the seamless implementation of follow-up procedures for the establishment of the medical school and university hospital in close cooperation with Suncheon University and relevant agencies.
They specifically demanded the establishment of a government-wide promotion system to ensure the timely opening of the medical school and university hospital, along with concrete administrative and financial support.
They stressed that the government must take responsibility for not only recommending candidate universities but also securing sites, constructing facilities, and providing personnel and resources until the actual opening of the school and hospital.
The three cities also addressed the site controversy raised by Mokpo and the western region regarding the medical school and university hospital.
They noted that the selection of candidate universities was based on the same evaluation criteria and procedures applied to both Mokpo University and Suncheon University, considering the specifics and feasibility of plans regarding the location, scale, site acquisition, and potential utilization timing of educational facilities and university hospitals.
The mayors emphasized that since the feasibility of site acquisition plans was included as an evaluation criterion, the overall fairness and validity of the review results should not be undermined by a single specific requirement.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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