On August 30, 2026, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City decided to select Suncheon National University as the candidate university for a new national medical school and recommend it to the government. In response, Muan County Council called for measures to address medical care in the southwest region. The candidate evaluation scores were 89.15 for Suncheon National University and 87.85 for Mokpo National University, a difference of 1.30 points.
Key Changes
Muan County and Muan County Council said that the selection of Suncheon National University as the sole candidate may not resolve the medical care gap in the southwest region and called for a locally self-sufficient medical care system. The demands presented by all members of Muan County Council are as follows:
- Disclosure of a roadmap for medical support in the southwest region
- Allocation of biomedical research and medical personnel training functions to Mokpo National University
- Allocation of joint education and research functions between Suncheon National University and Mokpo National University
The issue is not that Muan County Council determined the candidate selection result itself, but how medical functions in the southwest region should be supplemented after the selection.
Current Status
Suncheon National University’s selection as the candidate is the stage at which Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City recommends it to the government. The government’s final decision on whether to establish a new national medical school and on its enrollment quota is still pending. Suncheon National University’s official website has posted materials related to the submission and resubmission of its plan to promote the establishment of a medical school in August 2026.
Therefore, the currently confirmed facts cannot be described as confirmation that Suncheon National University’s national medical school has been established or that the government has finalized its enrollment quota.
Impact
Even before the candidate selection, in July 2026, Muan County and Muan County Council issued a joint statement calling for the integration of Mokpo National University and Suncheon National University and the establishment of a national medical school in Jeonnam. The latest demands can be understood as the region’s position that medical support for the southwest region and research and education functions at Mokpo National University should be arranged separately even after the candidate selection.
Meanwhile, Korea Ilbo reported that Song Ha-cheol, president of Mokpo National University, offered to resign as president on August 31, 2026, taking responsibility for the selection results. This resignation offer has not been confirmed as an event directly connected to Muan County Council’s demands and should be treated as a separate subsequent development.
Next Checkpoint
The key issue to monitor is the government’s final decision on establishing a new national medical school and determining its enrollment quota. Until then, it is important to distinguish between the fact that Suncheon National University was selected as the government-recommended candidate and the fact that Muan County Council called for a roadmap for medical support in the southwest region and the allocation of functions to Mokpo National University.
Sources: Asia Today (checked August 31, 2026), News1 (checked August 31, 2026), Yonhap News Agency (checked August 31, 2026), Korea Ilbo (checked August 31, 2026), Maeil Business Newspaper (checked August 31, 2026), and the official website of Suncheon National University (checked August 31, 2026).
Original links: [Asia Today](https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260831010010411), [News1](https://www.news1.kr/local/gwangju-jeonnam/6236756), [Yonhap News Agency](https://v.daum.net/v/20260723143344431), [Korea Ilbo](https://www.hankookilbo.com/news/article/A2026083116010001456), [News1 candidate selection report](https://www.news1.kr/local/gwangju-jeonnam/6273942), [Maeil Business Newspaper](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/society/12139760), [Suncheon National University](https://www.scnu.ac.kr/SCNU/main.do)