N. Gyeongsang governor welcomes approval of new medical school at Kyungkuk National University

North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo holds a press conference Wednesday morning at the provincial government briefing room on the approval of a new medical school at Kyungkuk National University. From left: Yecheon-gun County Chief An Byeong-yun, Governor Lee Cheol-woo, Kyungkuk National University President Jeong Tae-ju and Andong Deputy Mayor Lee Chi-heon. [Photo by Kim Byeong-jin]

The final approval of a new medical school at Kyungkuk National University marks a turning point for improving healthcare in North Gyeongsang Province and training local medical professionals.

North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo held a press conference Wednesday morning at the provincial government briefing room and welcomed the decision. "The confirmation of a medical school at Kyungkuk National University is a precious achievement made possible by the united efforts of all provincial residents," Lee said. "A new chapter in North Gyeongsang's history has begun."

Joining Lee at the briefing were Yecheon-gun County Chief An Byeong-yun, Kyungkuk National University President Jeong Tae-ju and Andong Deputy Mayor Lee Chi-heon, who gathered to mark the significance of the approval.

The decision brings a medical school to North Gyeongsang Province for the first time in 45 years. The province has had no national medical school or tertiary general hospital since Daegu and North Gyeongsang were separated into distinct administrative units.

The new medical school will be built on a 130,362-square-meter site within the North Gyeongsang provincial government new town, with a total project cost of about 630 billion won ($470 million).

The school will admit 40 students per year and aims to open in 2030, with plans to secure more than 112 full-time faculty members by 2032.

A teaching hospital with at least 500 beds will be constructed to handle clinical training for students and residency programs, and will serve as a core hub for the regional healthcare system.

Groundwork for the school's launch is already under way. Through consultations with medical school faculty in the Greater Seoul area and Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province has secured more than 10 full-time professors, including physician-researchers in basic medical sciences.

The planned construction site for the Kyungkuk National University medical school and university hospital. [Provided by North Gyeongsang Province]

The province has also established clinical training and residency cooperation frameworks with regional medical institutions including Chilgok Kyungpook National University Hospital and Andong Hospital, and is pursuing medical research partnerships with vaccine and biotech companies and research institutes in the province.

The broader vision is to leverage Andong's vaccine and biotech industry, Pohang's advanced science research infrastructure, and the nuclear and radiation medical science resources along the East Sea coast to develop North Gyeongsang into a new growth hub for the bio-medical industry.

However, challenges remain before the 2030 opening, including securing national government funding, obtaining medical education accreditation, recruiting qualified faculty and completing construction of the teaching hospital.

North Gyeongsang Province plans to strengthen cooperation with Kyungkuk National University, Andong and Yecheon-gun, and will form a support council — bringing together experts from the regional medical, academic and business communities — to advance the remaining steps.

Yecheon-gun County Chief An Byeong-yun said the county would work to create a stable environment for medical staff and their families to settle, and to prepare for a future in which healthcare, education and industry grow together in the provincial government new town.

Kyungkuk National University President Jeong Tae-ju called the approval "a fruit borne of the long collective effort of all North Gyeongsang residents," pledging to train outstanding medical professionals locally and help them put down roots in the region to look after residents' health.

Governor Lee vowed to push ahead without delay with the 2030 opening and the construction of a university hospital with at least 500 beds. "We will protect the lives and health of our residents and make North Gyeongsang a new growth hub for South Korea's bio-medical industry," Lee said.

kbj7653@heraldcorp.com