Gumi-si Shows Population Policy Results Last Year... Population Decline Rate Improved by Over 40%

Last Year's Two-Track Strategy for Population Inflow and Change Response

Specialized Policies, Gradual Implementation to Alleviate Population Decline

Gumi City in Gyeongbuk demonstrated positive effects last year by focusing all its administrative capabilities and policy directions on overcoming the population crisis and implementing strategic population policies, resulting in an improvement in the population decline rate.

Gumi City Population Promotion Status Report Meeting.

As of the end of December 2023, Gumi City's population was 405,506, a decrease of 2,604 people over the year. This represents an improvement of more than 40% in the population decline rate compared to 2022, when the population decreased by 4,471 people.

In December, influenced by the move-in to the newly built apartments in Wonpyeong-dong (Wonpyeong I-Park The Sharp), the population, which had been steadily declining, surprisingly increased by 51 people compared to the previous month.

Gumi City's population peaked at 421,799 in 2017, then began to decline to 421,494 in 2018, and by the end of 2022, the population was 408,110, marking the lowest point since entering the 400,000 range (404,920) in 2010.

In response, since the 8th term of the elected administration, Gumi City has established a proactive response system for managing the population decline crisis and set a two-track strategy focusing on population inflow and changes in population structure, actively and intensively promoting related policies.

▲ Establishing a proactive response system for population crisis management

To proactively address the population decline crisis, the city established the Population and Youth Division in January last year and implemented various population policies centered on youth.

The Youth Basic Ordinance was revised (December 2022) to enhance youth rights and expand social participation, and the Gumi City Population Increase Policy Ordinance (January 2023) was enacted to support population growth, including academic encouragement grants for incoming students and commemorative gifts (Gumi agricultural products) for new residents.

Additionally, the Population Policy Committee was newly reorganized to collaborate with experts. Over ten strategy report meetings and working sessions were held with all departments to discover and monitor about 100 population policy projects, systematizing the entire policy implementation process from project discovery to execution.

▲ Responding to population issues through innovation in citizen-centered administrative services rather than cash welfare

To improve birth rates and attract population inflow, the city prioritizes differentiated, citizen-centered solutions over cash welfare policies.

Various preferential benefits for Gumi citizens were introduced, such as a 60% priority reservation system for campgrounds, 30% discounts on planned performances at the Culture and Arts Center, and reduced fees for public facilities like Gumi Eco Land and Okseong Natural Recreation Forest, fostering local pride and love for the region.

Support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) actively participating in the Gumi address-holding campaign was expanded, including increased loans for operations and facilities, dormitory rental support for SMEs, additional settlement incentives for investment attraction companies, and preferential commission benefits at the Gumi Electronics and Information Technology Institute, strengthening support for local companies and workers.

Various policies supporting new residents in Gumi were developed and implemented, including academic encouragement grants of 200,000 KRW for incoming students, Gumi agricultural product support worth about 30,000 KRW for new households, free use of public parking lots for one year, free use of the Gumi Video Media Center for one year, and 50% discounts on planned performances at the Culture and Arts Center.

Over the past year, more than 60 on-site civil service offices were operated to facilitate new resident registration and policy application, inducing over 600 actual resident registrations. All public officials acted as salespeople for citizen attraction, actively engaging in field administration.

▲ Building future city infrastructure in response to changes in population structure

Gumi City has devoted significant effort to preparing long-term population policies, including infrastructure development, to respond to changes in population structure and prepare for the region's future.

By attracting large-scale national projects such as the semiconductor special zone and defense industry cluster, as well as large corporate investments, the city is securing quality jobs. Improvements in transportation infrastructure, such as the construction of the Gumi-Gunwi expressway, and strengthening education and care systems through facilities like the 365 Pediatric and Adolescent Medical Center, 365 Care Daycare Center, and Academic and Career Support Center are underway.

Gumi is also enhancing its unique merits across all fields by developing differentiated festivals such as the Food Festival and Ramen Festival, transforming into a romantic cultural city.

▲ Population outlook for Gumi City in 2024

With the 2024 budget entering the 2 trillion KRW era, the city plans to build on the various projects launched in the 8th term of the elected administration to continue improving the population decline trend.

Following the Wonpyeong I-Park The Sharp (1,610 households), 6,500 new households are expected to move in by the end of 2024, including Sandong-eup Jungheung S-Class Edufore (1,555 households). The full-scale occupancy and factory operation of Phase 1 of the Gumi National 5 Industrial Complex, along with an increase in the estimated 20,000 actual residents who have not yet registered, are expected to positively impact the recovery from population decline.

However, the dead cross phenomenon (deaths exceeding births), which began in 2022, has intensified (25 in 2022, 89 in 2023). Increased population outflow to the Seoul metropolitan area and Daegu, especially among youth and workers, and difficulties faced by export companies due to the global economic crisis are expected to pose obstacles to population recovery.

▲ Full effort for population recovery with Gumi-style customized population policies in 2024

The city aims to maintain the population at the 400,000 level as its primary goal and plans to gradually reduce the decrease and mitigate the decline in social population (inflow and outflow).

The Gumi愛 address-holding campaign will be expanded, focusing on university students and young workers who make up the majority of actual residents not yet registered. The city will also expand its unique, citizen-centered population policies by discovering additional benefits and incentives for new residents.

Various welcome messages containing population policies will be sent to new residents, and the Gumi Love Certification System will be implemented for excellent companies with a certain rate of local employee registration, expanding benefits.

Policies such as one-month free use of the Workers' Comprehensive Welfare Center for new workers, preferential fees for public sports facilities, and restructured scholarship systems favoring local students with Gumi addresses will be promoted.

Gumi City is focusing on population revitalization projects utilizing the long-vacant Gumi Station. With consecutive selections for related government public projects, these initiatives are expected to gain further momentum. Aiming for opening in the second half of this year, the city plans to establish a Youth Activity Support Center and youth shared office to support youth, as well as a Gumi Welcome Center and marriage promotion platform to provide one-stop support infrastructure covering education, employment, marriage, and childbirth for youth life cycles, thereby supporting youth activities and responding to the population decline crisis.

Mayor Kim Jang-ho stated, “We are pursuing the reinvention of Gumi with the ultimate goal of all policies being to solve population issues. We will carefully examine and analyze the achievements and challenges of the population policies we have diligently implemented so far, and this year, we will do our best to create a city where everyone wants to live by establishing population policies for future generations.”