Jeonnam Jangheung-gun Officials Visit Yeongdeok-gun to Study 'Best Practices for Responding to Population Decline'

Yeongdeok-gun Youth Project Ttubuk-i Village

Themed Tourism Blue Road Field Exploration

Employees of Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, conducted a field survey on the 23rd to benchmark the ‘Ttubuk-i Village’ and trekking course ‘Blue Road’ implemented in Yeongdeok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do.

Employees from Jangheung-gun, Jeonnam, who visited Yeongdeok-gun as a model case for responding to population decline.

Jangheung-gun and Yeongdeok-gun have similar population and budget sizes and are characterized by being located along the South Sea and East Sea, respectively.

Both regions are rural fishing and farming areas facing the risk of population extinction. Jangheung-gun dispatched a delegation to visit Yeongdeok-gun’s Ttubuk-i Village, one of the youth support projects, and the nationally renowned trekking course Blue Road, aiming to utilize these as countermeasures against population decline.

Yeongdeok-gun’s Ttubuk-i Village project began in 2021 as part of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Youth Village Creation Support Project, creating a trekking hub space called ‘Deoks’ by utilizing idle buildings in the area.

Despite the limitations posed by COVID-19, Ttubuk-i Village conducted various regional experience programs for youth nationwide using both online and offline methods, with 109 offline participants and 2,163 online participants in 2021, totaling 2,272. This year, as of May, the regional living program has seen 120 offline participants and 1,849 online participants, totaling 1,969.

Through this process, 10 young people settled in Yeongdeok-gun, and the county and local community plan to provide continuous interest and support such as jobs and housing to help them integrate stably into the region.

Additionally, Yeongdeok-gun is conducting a youth village shared housing project to provide additional residential spaces for young people alongside the operation of Ttubuk-i Village, and is promoting support in various ways, including startup support programs conducted as part of the Neighbor Village Creation Project.

Based on these achievements, Yeongdeok Ttubuk-i Village was selected as an excellent case at the ‘Population Decline Response Best Practice Competition’ hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in December last year.

The Yeongdeok Blue Road began development in 2009 as part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s ‘Cultural Ecological Trail with Stories’ project. Along with Jeju Olle Trail, it was the only coastal walking travel course on the mainland at the time and gained nationwide attention by winning the Consumer Selected Best Brand Award in the themed tourism category for three consecutive years until 2017.

Currently, the 64.6 km coastal path is divided into four sections, offering diverse trekking attractions where visitors can experience emerald-blue seas and refreshing forests. Furthermore, Yeongdeok-gun plans to solidify its position as the nation’s top trekking course by adding themed tourism items to various points along the Blue Road starting this year.

County Governor Kim Gwang-yeol explained, “Through the Ttubuk-i Village project and Yeongdeok Blue Road, we are effectively experiencing the influx and settlement of young people, as well as the inflow of tourists and living population.” He added, “By promoting linked projects to respond to the crisis of population extinction, we plan to maximize these effects.”