[Asia Economy (Uijeongbu) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The population of 10 cities and counties in the northern Gyeonggi region has surpassed 3.4 million, overtaking Busan. As a result, northern Gyeonggi has become the third most populous region in the country, following southern Gyeonggi and Seoul.
According to the report "Analysis of the Economy and Employment Level in Northern Gyeonggi" published by the Gyeonggi Research Institute on the 22nd, as of November last year, the population of northern Gyeonggi was 3.44 million, surpassing Busan's 3.42 million. This ranks third nationwide, following southern Gyeonggi with 9.79 million and Seoul with 9.73 million.
The population by region is as follows: Gyeongnam 3.36 million, Incheon 2.96 million, Gyeongbuk 2.67 million, Daegu 2.44 million, Chungnam 2.12 million, Jeonnam 1.87 million, Jeonbuk 1.82 million, Chungbuk 1.60 million, Gangwon 1.54 million, Daejeon 1.48 million, Gwangju 1.46 million, Ulsan 1.15 million, Jeju 670,000, and Sejong 540,000.
The Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of northern Gyeonggi was 62.1 trillion won as of 2016, ranking 10th nationwide. Additionally, the regional gross income was 98.8 trillion won as of 2017, making it the fourth highest in the country.
The employment rate in northern Gyeonggi was 60.1% in 2018 (11th nationwide), the wage worker ratio was 74.8% (9th nationwide), and the ratio of regular workers to wage workers was 71.3% (4th nationwide).
Kim Eul-sik, a research fellow at the Gyeonggi Research Institute, advised, "Northern Gyeonggi is the third most populous region in the country, showing higher income than production. It is necessary to enhance production capacity and expand jobs through organic integration of industrial policies and employment policies, such as expanding investment to improve productivity and advancing the regional industrial structure."
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