Tuition-free for regional national universities? This is clear reverse discrimination

“National universities are 0 won, while we pay millions”... Regional private university students protest
n.news.naver.com
As the government announced it will fully support tuition for freshmen at regional national universities starting from the 2027 academic year, private university students in the Gangwon region have risen in strong protest, claiming "reverse discrimination." According to the Ministry of Education on the 10th, regarding the establishment of the 'Regional Balanced Development Scholarship,'
The policy of making tuition free for regional national universities is clear reverse discrimination against students at regional private universities studying in the same area. If the intention is to ease the burden on regional students, there is no reason to draw a line between national and private institutions.
In fact, the tuition burden for private university students is much higher. There are also more students at private universities who are struggling to receive scholarships due to difficult family circumstances. However, if support is concentrated only on national universities, it effectively divides students within the same region.
Ultimately, I suspect this is not a problem-solving measure, but a divisive policy drawn to calculate votes.