"Stop 'Innovation' Now, Shift to Cities with Declining Populations!"

Andong-si and Others Urge "Government's 2nd Public Institution Relocation"

Joint Statement by 13 Local Leaders on Non-Innovation and Population Decline

"Not an Innovation City, but a Population Declining City!"

Local governments across the country experiencing population decline have raised a unified voice demanding the relocation of public institutions within their regions.

On the 3rd, 13 local governments from population-declining areas, including Andong-si, held the "2nd Public Institution Regional Relocation Policy Forum" in Jecheon, Chungbuk.

This forum was organized in response to the public institution relocation policy focused on Innovation Cities, with participation from local governments that are non-Innovation Cities and experiencing population decline.

The participating cities and counties include Andong-si, Gochang-gun, Jecheon-si, Gongju-si, Nonsan-si, Danyang-gun, Donghae-si, Mungyeong-si, Miryang-si, Bonghwa-gun, Sangju-si, Yeongwol-gun, and Taean-gun.

During the first part of the day, a joint statement was read, participating heads of organizations signed it, and a commemorative photo was taken. The second part featured a keynote lecture and panel discussion on the direction of the 2nd public institution regional relocation policy and local government response strategies.

In their statement, the local governments pointed out the limitation of the first public institution relocation being restricted to Innovation Cities, arguing that this restriction has worsened the polarization between neglected regional cities and accelerated the crisis of local extinction.

They also jointly proposed the government's direction for the 2nd public institution regional relocation policy and urged the relocation of public institutions to population-declining areas to overcome these issues.

Andong-si holds the position that relocating public institutions to Innovation Cities causes the hollowing out of nearby old downtown areas and regional imbalance, and that the relocation criteria need to change so that public institutions move to old downtown areas of population-declining cities, enabling mutual growth between the institutions and the old downtown.

Mayor Kwon Ki-chang of Andong said, "Just as the nation exists because of its people, the nation will revive only if the regions thrive," adding, "I hope the 2nd public institution regional relocation will resolve the regional imbalance centered on the metropolitan area, achieve national balanced development, and accelerate the realization of the government's goal of a livable local era anywhere."

Joint Statement Urging the Relocation of the Second Phase of Public Institutions to 13 Local Governments, Calling for Moves to Non-Innovative and Population-Declining Cities.