Imsil-gun Ranks First in Total Fertility Rate in Jeonbuk Region According to Statistics Korea

Sim Min, Imsil County Governor

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Nosik] The birth rate in Imsil-gun, Jeonbuk, ranked among the highest nationwide.

According to Imsil-gun on the 25th, Statistics Korea recently announced the "2020 Birth and Death Statistics Preliminary Figures."

The county's total fertility rate last year was 1.77, ranking second among all cities, counties, and districts nationwide, and the highest in the province.

This figure is more than twice the national average of 0.84 and 0.86 higher than the provincial average of 0.91.

In fact, the number of newborns in Imsil-gun last year increased by 19 from the previous year (151) to 170, a 12.5% increase.

The increase in the birth rate is interpreted as the result of a complex interaction of key policies in various fields such as education, return-to-farming and rural migration, multiculturalism, special military base policies, and jobs, in addition to the county's actively promoted birth encouragement policies.

First, the effect of Bonghwang Talent Academy, established in 2018 during the 6th local government term for middle school students in the area, is evaluated as significant.

Bonghwang Talent Academy is an educational facility created to solve the problem of parents and children leaving for the city due to educational issues once children reach the 5th grade of elementary school, and it continues to operate successfully with high approval from parents.

By providing a high level of education locally without having to move to the city, it has the advantage of allowing families to stay and raise children, leading to inquiries from prospective parents in other regions.

Practical support such as education expenses and settlement funds for stable settlement of return-to-farming and rural migrants, loans for housing purchase, establishment of family practice farms for agricultural startups, and the influence of the Clean Imsil brand targeting urban residents who want to live in a clean area are also shining.

Various birth encouragement support policies being implemented to actively respond to the low birthrate problem have also played a role.

Birth encouragement policies include support of 3 million KRW for the first and second child, 5 million KRW for the third child, and 8 million KRW for the fourth and subsequent children, as well as about 20 projects such as birth congratulatory goods, 500,000 KRW for postpartum care, maternal and newborn health manager services, diaper purchase costs, transportation expenses for pregnant women, medical expenses for high-risk pregnant women, infertility treatment support, and postpartum health care expenses.

County Governor Sim Min said, "As the population cliff issue is socially serious, we will analyze more thoroughly the reasons why our county recorded a high birth rate," adding, "Based on this, we will establish comprehensive and long-term customized population policies to create an Imsil where many people can give birth, raise children, and live happily without worries."