Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheolwoo Urges Swift Enactment of Low Birthrate Special Act... "A Matter of National Survival, Must Be Pursued with Utmost Effort"

Policy Chief Kim Minseok Visits Low Birthrate Committee

Asks Joo Hyunhwan for "Government-Level Support"

On the 13th, Gyeongbuk Province announced its 100 Key Action Strategies to Overcome Low Birthrate, and is now expanding its efforts to launch a full-scale campaign.

Kim Minseok, Director of Policy for Gyeongbuk Province, and Ahn Seongryeol, Head of the Low Birthrate War Headquarters, met with Joo Hyunhwan, Vice Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Low Fertility and Aging Society, on the 27th at the direction of Governor Lee Cheolwoo. They proposed the inclusion of core projects, policy support at the national level, and improvement of on-site regulations.

Chulwoo Lee, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province.

First, they requested that Gyeongbuk Province be designated as a pilot zone for the "Convergence Care Special Zone," where all policies related to low birthrate can be experimentally implemented without regulatory barriers. The province is currently designing a special zone in the new provincial government city area, where care-related agencies and private facilities are clustered together.

In addition, they strongly recommended the establishment of a national-level population policy research institute, tentatively named the "National Population Policy Research Institute," in Gyeongbuk, believing it is necessary to overcome the low birthrate crisis. The province analyzed that, in France, the establishment of a population research institute played a key role in reversing the low birthrate crisis.

Especially during the meeting, there was a consensus on the need for special legislation. They agreed that solutions to the low birthrate issue require measures that go beyond existing frameworks, and decided to actively cooperate for the prompt enactment of a "Special Act on Low Birthrate Countermeasures."

Gyeongbuk Province expressed gratitude for the government's swift implementation of proposals such as the "Establishment of a Low Birthrate Response Control Tower," which was suggested in February. The government is currently working to establish a "Low Birthrate Response Planning Department" and a "Chief Officer for Low Birthrate" under the President's directive.

Minsuk Kim, Policy Director of Gyeongbuk Province (second from the left), is meeting with Hyunghwan Joo, Vice Chairman of the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee (center), to request active government support for the low birthrate-related projects promoted by Gyeongbuk Province.

Among the additional issues identified on-site, Gyeongbuk Province explained and requested the expansion of the size of public housing (up to 85㎡) for households with multiple children, as well as the expansion of direct contract opportunities for family-friendly companies.

Additionally, the province explained its 100 Key Action Strategies, which were designed with a field-oriented approach, by sector, and requested that these be reflected in government policy.

Governor Lee Cheolwoo stated, "Low birthrate is a matter of national survival. Ordinary responses are not enough; we must pursue this with all our might through special legislation. I ask the government to actively support Gyeongbuk so we can first experiment with policies, create a model, and spread it nationwide."

Since declaring a "war on low birthrate" in February, Gyeongbuk Province has been building a close cooperative system with the government by visiting the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Presidential Committee on Low Fertility and Aging Society, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and others in succession.