Mokpo National University protests medical-school rejection as Lee promises support

Mokpo National University’s senior administrators said they would resign after the university lost its bid to become the candidate for a new national medical school by 1.3 points.

At a press conference on Sept. 1, the administrators called the evaluation inadequate and said they could not accept the result. They claimed evaluators were recruited only a day or two before the review, examined both universities’ plans for just over an hour, then completed presentations and questions in a short session. They also questioned why Mokpo’s proposal, which included 50,000 pyeong of state-owned land, received a similar score to Suncheon National University’s plan to use a site owned by a local government.

The Mokpo team said it had plans to acquire a general hospital with more than 75 doctors qualified to teach in a medical school and use it as a temporary teaching hospital. It also cited agreements with a large former university-hospital-level facility in Gwangju and a major medical school to help secure faculty.

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We cannot accept losing by 1.3 points.

The university’s president, Song Ha-cheol, had submitted his resignation the previous day, accepting responsibility for the failed bid. President Lee Jae-myung told Min Hyung-bae, mayor of the merged Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City, that residents in Mokpo and western South Jeolla would feel considerable deprivation. Lee asked the interior and health ministries to consult the special city and consider support measures.

The special city selected and recommended Suncheon National University after reviewing plans in five areas, including governance, facilities, teaching hospitals, faculty and institutional responsibilities. Suncheon’s overall score was 1.3 points higher, including a 1.17-point advantage in its faculty plan.

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People in Mokpo and the western region are likely to feel considerable deprivation, and the political difficulties will be significant.