The long-standing issue of establishing a public medical school in Jeonbuk has resurfaced, raising expectations for strengthening essential medical services in the region. This issue is also gaining attention as it aligns with the national task of addressing medical deserts and expanding public medical workforce.

Jeonbuk Province has been pushing for the enactment of the Public Medical School Act, utilizing the capacity of the closed Seonam University Medical School in 2018 to establish a public medical school in Namwon and train 49 personnel annually. However, related bills were scrapped in the 20th and 21st National Assemblies, and discussions were suspended for a long period in the 22nd National Assembly due to legislative conflicts over expanding medical school capacities.

With signs of resuming discussions on the Public Medical School Act in some political circles recently, Jeonbuk Province has launched a full-fledged effort for the passage of the bill. The province has directly approached the office of Park Joo-min, the chairman of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to suggest the necessity of the Public Medical School Act. Furthermore, on the 25th, Vice Governor Kim Jong-hoon plans to meet with Park Min-soo, the second vice minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, to request cooperation.

Noh Chang-hwan, head of the Health and Medical Department of Jeonbuk Province, emphasized, "A public medical school is a structural solution for narrowing the medical gap between regions and strengthening the foundation of essential medical services," adding, "The project utilizing the Seonam University capacity should be promptly pursued within the current legal framework, unrelated to the expansion of existing medical school capacities."