The establishment of the National Graduate School of Medicine (National Medical School) in Namwon—a long-cherished aspiration of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province—has officially been finalized. This milestone comes eight years after the ruling party and government first announced the plan to establish a national public medical school in Namwon back in April 2018.

On the morning of the 1st, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held the 4th meeting of the National Medical School Establishment Preparation Committee at the Government Complex Seoul and announced that Namwon, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, has been chosen as the school’s location.

The National Medical School will operate as a four-year graduate institution, nurturing national talents in the field of public healthcare through full tuition support and specialized public medical curricula.

Graduates will obtain their medical licenses and fulfill a 15-year mandatory service obligation at public medical institutions, helping to alleviate the public healthcare labor shortage while growing into core personnel who can respond to critical health and medical challenges.

Key Details of the Namwon National Medical School Plan

-Timeline: Scheduled to open in 2029, with classes officially commencing in 2030.
-Enrollment: 100 students per year, systematically trained and deployed across various state sectors including public medical centers, fire/industrial accident/veterans affairs agencies, infectious disease response teams, national trauma centers, health policy sectors, and international health.
-Support System: Full financial support, including tuition, during enrollment, alongside a comprehensive career management program spanning from student days through post-graduation.
-Mandatory Service: A 15-year service term in administrative agencies or public medical institutions following graduation. If a graduate undergoes medical residency training at an approved mandatory service institution, that training period will count toward the 15-year service requirement.
-Curriculum: While centered in Namwon, clinical training will utilize a variety of public medical institutions to align with the objective of training public health professionals.

The government plans to further refine the school’s core values, educational objectives, and specific curriculum through upcoming discussions by the Curriculum Specialized Committee.

Additionally, the Namwon Medical Center will be converted into the Namwon Hospital of the National Medical Center—a state-operated hospital—and gradually expanded to a 500-bed scale. Moving forward, the hospital plans to strengthen its clinical education and regional hub functions by specializing in key areas such as cardiovascular care and dementia treatment.

Lee Hyung-hoon, Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, stated, "We will work closely with related organizations such as Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, Namwon City, and the National Medical Center to ensure that the National Medical School opens seamlessly and serves as a cradle where the state takes responsibility for cultivating public medical talent."

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