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The government announced that, in response to the declining school-age population and the concentration of resources in the capital region, it will fully waive tuition fees for 60,000 freshmen at 30 local national universities starting next year. This decision aims to support young people in continuing their studies in their regions without financial burden, with a total of 200 billion won allocated from the national budget.
This initiative excludes medical-related majors such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine, which will receive separate support to promote the expansion of regional and essential medical services. Additionally, financial support will be increased to enhance the research capabilities of local private and national universities, and the regional talent scholarship program will be revamped to select 10,000 outstanding students.
Park Hong-keun, Minister of the Planning and Budget Office, emphasized the necessity of fully supporting tuition fees at local national universities, stating, "We will focus on investing in local industries, healthcare, education, and living infrastructure to support a self-sufficient life in the regions." This budget allocation is interpreted as a strategy to prevent the outflow of young people from the regions and enhance local self-sustainability.