Are Population Policies of Jeonbuk Local Governments 'Ineffective'?

2021 Predicted Extinction Risk Index 0.48... Differentiated Policies Needed

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hong Jaehee] Local governments are discovering and promoting population policies to overcome the increasingly declining population crisis, but the population remains stagnant.

According to data from Statistics Korea and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on resident registration status (2010?2019) on the 13th, Jeonbuk region is predicted to have a disappearance risk index below 0.5, specifically 0.48, by 2021.

Also, the disappearance risk index decreased by 4.93%, from 0.83 in 2010 to 0.53 in 2019, and 11 cities and counties except Jeonju-si, Gunsan-si, and Iksan-si are at risk areas with an index below 0.5.

Furthermore, the elderly population ratio increased from 15.22% in 2010 to 20.38% in 2019, marking Jeonbuk region's entry into a super-aged society, and even Jeonju-si, with the lowest elderly population ratio of 14.24%, is considered an aged society.

Gunsan-si and Iksan-si also have elderly population ratios of 17.79% and 18.60%, respectively, and at the current trend, Gunsan-si will enter a super-aged society by 2022, and Iksan-si by 2021.

Jeonbuk's population decreased by 0.30%, from 1,868,963 in 2010 to 1,818,917 in 2019, and it is expected that maintaining a population of 1.8 million will be difficult by 2023.

The population decline rates by city and county were highest in Buan-gun (-1.33%), Gimje-si (-1.30%), Jeongeup-si (-1.09%), Gochang-gun (-1.02%), and Namwon-si (-0.83%), in that order.

Accordingly, local governments are uniformly implementing policies to increase population, such as childbirth incentive payments and return-to-farming and rural migration policies.

Buan-gun, which has a high population decline rate, is promoting population increase projects such as revitalizing return-to-farming and rural migration, discovering policies to attract young people, and creating jobs.

Gimje-si is also implementing various support policies, including childbirth incentive payments, garbage bag support, cultural and artistic membership fee support, student loan interest support, and return-to-farming and rural migration policies.

However, it has been found that the population is still decreasing due to identical policies without differentiation among local governments.

The total fertility rate by city and county (2010?2018) decreased in 13 cities and counties except Sunchang-gun, and in 2018, Jeonju-si and Muju-gun had less than one child each.

Also, the number of births slightly decreased in Sunchang-gun from 223 in 2010 to 216 in 2019, and Muju-gun's births dropped by more than half, from 181 to 79.

The population under 14 years old, classified as children, decreased in all 14 cities and counties, with Buan-gun, which has a high population decline rate, also experiencing a significant decrease in the under-14 population.

The working-age population aged 15 to under 64 increased by 0.19% in Jeonju-si, from 463,640 in 2010 to 471,525 in 2019, and by 0.69% in Wanju-gun, from 56,359 in 2010 to 59,983 in 2019.

Although local governments are implementing policies to increase population, the effects are minimal, and in some local governments where the population increased, the overall population in the province decreased, indicating that population inflow is merely movement between local governments within the province rather than from outside Jeonbuk.

Regarding this, experts said, "Despite the inflow of return-to-farming and rural migration populations in farming and fishing villages, the outflow of young people is increasing the number of disappearance risk areas," and "Population policies are being promoted at the national level, so regional effects are insufficient."

They added, "It is time to pay attention to improving comprehensive living conditions, including not only quality jobs but also housing, culture, education, and convenience facilities, to prevent local young people from moving to other regions."