National medical school, university merger in jeopardy over location dispute

The establishment of a national medical school and the proposed merger of Sunchon National University and Mokpo National University in the Gwangju-Jeonnam region are on the brink of collapse. A key sticking point is the location of the medical school, with Sunchon University rejecting a compromise plan that would have placed the university headquarters and medical school in Mokpo and the hospital in Sunchon.

The regional transition committee announced that it would not prepare further proposals or new arbitration plans. "If the two universities reach an agreement through autonomous discussion, we will respect the outcome, but if not, we will end our mediation role," stated a committee representative. The committee emphasized the urgency, noting that the government has set a deadline of 2030 for admitting new students to newly established medical schools. Considering the necessary procedures for budget allocation, accreditation, and enrollment, the universities must complete their merger application this month.

Initially, Sunchon and Mokpo National Universities agreed in November 2024 to merge and establish a medical school with government support, aiming to build university hospitals in both the eastern and western parts of the province. However, disagreements over the location of the medical school and the university's name led to a halt in merger discussions in March. A recent mediation proposal suggested placing the university headquarters and medical school in Mokpo, with a hospital in Sunchon, and a future hospital in Mokpo. While Mokpo University accepted this, Sunchon University rejected it, arguing it would reduce Sunchon to a region with only a university hospital lacking a medical school and a campus-based national university headquartered in Mokpo. Sunchon University insists on having the university headquarters and medical school located in Sunchon.