Boseong-gun Ranks First Nationwide in Proportion of Third Child and Beyond Births

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Yong-chul] Amid a nationwide birth cliff leading to population decline, Boseong-gun has been revealed to hold the highest proportion of third-child births.

On the 28th, Boseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, announced that it ranked first nationwide in the proportion of births of third children or more in the '2019 Birth Statistics' released by Statistics Korea on the 26th.

The proportion of third-child or more births in Boseong-gun was 26.1%, more than three times higher than the national average (8.5%), and the total fertility rate was 1.159, exceeding the national average (0.918).

A county official said, "The high proportion of third-child births is a very meaningful indicator," adding, "As can be inferred from figures such as the second highest life satisfaction nationwide and the highest employment growth rate in Jeonnam (4th in employment rate), the high life satisfaction of local residents and economic stability likely influenced the birth of third children."

Boseong-gun is implementing various support policies as part of its population policy for multi-child families, including △ incentives for giving birth to a third child or more (6 million to over 9 million KRW), △ support for public postpartum care centers, △ support for maternal and newborn health care workers, △ scholarship programs for nurturing future talents, and △ housing support for multi-child families.

Additionally, to help youth independence and settlement, the county is promoting the 'Boseong Da(茶, 多) Culture Village Project,' supporting professional tea blender training, employment and start-up consulting, and providing 15 million KRW in initial funding through the 'Youth Start-up Shop Project' for youth entrepreneurship.

A county official stated, "We are striving to implement a population policy that does not focus solely on childbirth but considers the entire life cycle including pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, education, and housing, guaranteeing happiness for those living in Boseong," and added, "We will do our best to become a successful role model in solving the population decline issue."