Shinan-gun Escapes Population Decline... 179 People Increase Last Year

'Sunlight Pension' and '1 Island 1 Museum' Are Key Factors

Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Park Woo-ryang) announced on the 16th that the population, which had been continuously declining since 2013, increased by 179 people last year to 38,037.

This is a noteworthy change as it breaks the continuous population decline trend since the county's establishment in 1969, except for the years 2003, 2006, 2010, and 2013.

Last year in Shinan-gun, despite the number of births reaching 100 and deaths totaling 675, the population increased by 179 due to 3,925 people moving in and 3,171 people moving out.

Scenic View of Sinan-gun Government Office

According to data released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in 2023, out of 89 regions in South Korea experiencing population decline, only 9 regions showed population growth, with Shinan-gun being the only area in Jeollanam-do to record an increase.

This population growth is analyzed as a result of the interaction between natural and social factors, reflecting the success of Shinan-gun’s economic and cultural support policies.

The main factors contributing to the population increase include economic support such as the Sunlight Pension and Sunlight Child Allowance, as well as cultural and emotional support through the One Island One Museum initiative.

Shinan-gun’s Sunlight Pension is a system that shares the profits from solar and wind power projects utilizing the region’s natural resources of sunlight and wind. It provides up to 680,000 KRW quarterly to residents of Jido-eup, Imja-myeon, and Anjwa-myeon, and this year it is planned to expand to all towns and townships including Bigeum-myeon and Jeungdo-myeon.

Shinan-gun’s ‘One Island One Museum’ policy has positively influenced population inflow by offering a rich living environment to local residents and migrants through cultural investment in the region.

A county official stated, “We provide 200,000 KRW each in the first and second half of the year, totaling 400,000 KRW annually, to about 2,000 children under 18 in towns and townships not receiving the Sunlight Pension benefits. We plan to increase this to a maximum of 1,200,000 KRW annually in the future.”

These positive changes are expected to become an important foundation for the sustainable development of Shinan-gun.