Cheongyang-gun Promotes Foreigners' Regional Specialized Visa Project... Responding to Population Decline Crisis

Visa Issuance Requirements Relaxed... Recruiting 28 People Until June

Cheongyang County Office Building Exterior

Cheongyang-gun, Chungnam, classified as a population extinction area, announced on the 16th that it will promote a region-specific visa program to attract foreign talent.

As of April, Cheongyang-gun's population stands at 29,971. Accordingly, the county plans to implement population inflow policies through resolving labor shortages in companies, expanding the resident population, and promoting economic activities.

The region-specific visa program aims to relax visa issuance conditions for foreigners and overseas Koreans with foreign nationality who meet certain qualifications, encouraging employment and settlement in areas experiencing population decline. The county plans to recruit 28 people by June.

Region-specific outstanding talents include domestic legally residing foreigners who meet conditions such as △holding an associate degree or higher (including expected graduates) or having an income of at least 70% of the previous year's per capita Gross National Income (GNI) △completion of level 3 or higher in the social integration program (assigned level 4 or higher in pre-assessment).

Region-specific overseas Koreans with foreign nationality include △overseas Koreans (holders of C-3-8, H-2, F-4 visas) who have resided in Cheongyang-gun for more than 2 years △overseas Koreans under 60 years old who intend to migrate with family from non-population-declining areas or abroad.

The county plans to provide Korean language education for six weeks from the 26th to June 30th in connection with the 'Region Industry Customized Job Creation Project,' selected as a Chungnam Province public project, to help applicants meet the basic Korean language qualification requirements necessary for issuing region-specific visas.

County Governor Kim Dong-gon said, “We will do our best to respond to the population decline crisis in Cheongyang-gun by continuously expanding the visa program, resolving labor shortages in local companies, and supporting various social integration programs to encourage settlement in the region.”