Achieving Zero Population Decline Rate Compared to Previous Month for the First Time
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Goheung County has established the Population Policy Division for the first time among local governments nationwide during the 7th term of the elected government, and has formulated a five-year population policy plan containing 50 measures under three major strategies: Youth Return, Child Happiness, and Return to Hometown and Rural Areas, focusing on maximizing population inflow and minimizing population outflow.
As a result, Goheung County has achieved a 'zero' population decline rate compared to the previous month for the first time.
According to Goheung County on the 8th, based on the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's resident registration population statistics, the population of Goheung County as of the end of June 2020 was 64,336, the same as the population at the end of May one month earlier, marking the first time that no population decrease occurred compared to the previous month.
During the past month, Goheung County saw a decrease of 396 people due to 84 deaths and 312 people moving out to other cities and counties, while the population increased by 396 due to 17 births and 379 people moving in from other cities and counties, resulting in the population decrease and increase balancing out.
At the turning point of the 7th elected government, it is noteworthy that the strategic goal of Goheung County's population policy within the 7th term future vision 1·3·0 plan, which Mayor Song Gwigeun is focusing on, namely 'zero population decline rate by 2022,' is gaining momentum.
In particular, since the start of the 7th term in July 2018 until now, the number of households and people returning to farming, rural areas, and hometowns has reached 1,825 households and 2,548 people, which is equivalent to the population increase of about one myeon (township).
Goheung County was also proven to be the number one destination for returnees to farming nationwide by ranking first in the 2019 statistics on urban residents returning to farming, jointly announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Statistics Korea, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on June 25 last year.
To attract urban residents, Goheung County opened the 'Return to Farming and Rural Happiness School,' the first of its kind directly operated by a local government nationwide in September last year, providing pre-education, experiences, and accommodation facilities to hopeful participants, gaining great popularity.
Additionally, aiming to raise 10 billion KRW for the 'My Love Goheung Fund,' the county has currently secured 9 billion KRW to support youth employment, startups, and settlement funds. On June 24, it opened 'Nokdong Youth Maru,' a youth startup mall, to support young entrepreneurs.
The county is preparing to open the 'Goheung Youth Tomorrow (My-job) Art Center' in October as a space for youth arts, cultural life, and community, and plans to actively support youth employment and startups through the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's public project, 'Our Neighborhood Youth Happiness Bridge Project.'
Mayor Song Gwigeun said, “To create a sustainable and youthful population structure, we will implement various policies for local youth along with youth-centered support for return to hometown and rural areas, achieving regional development.”
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