Shinan-gun Seeks New Solutions to Address Population Decline Issues

Successful Completion of Educational Welfare Policy Advanced Site Visit

Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Park Woo-ryang) announced on the 5th that the advanced educational welfare policy field trip held from the 2nd to the 3rd was successfully completed.

This field trip was planned to directly observe the current status of various policies related to education, childcare, housing, and culture and arts in connection with the population extinction issue, and to benchmark excellent cases.

On the first day, Shinan-gun officials visited the workshop of sculptor Kim Chang-gon in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do. There, they explored the potential for development as a cultural and artistic tourist destination utilizing Shinan-gun’s natural scenery, experienced various garden designs and landscaping techniques, and observed the operation methods of a park where nature and sculpture harmonize.

(Center) Park Woo-ryang, the mayor of Sinan County, is listening to an explanation about the Inje Miracle Island Library from (right) Choi Sang-gi, the mayor of Inje County. [Photo by Sinan County]

Next, the group moved to Inje and toured the Inje Miracle Library, Wontong Library, and the library within the newly constructed Nam-myeon Complex Cultural Center. They were introduced to key programs such as reading clubs for local residents, creativity development programs for children, and digital resource utilization education, and directly experienced various library operation methods.

In particular, through a casual meeting with Choi Sang-gi, the governor of Inje-gun, they had in-depth discussions on efficient resource management and operational strategies for libraries.

On the second day, they visited the community center and Hwacheon Learning Center in Hwacheon-gun, where they were introduced to various policies including childcare and educational support to overcome low birth rates.

They also examined the operation methods of the community center and toured its main facilities, followed by a casual meeting with Ji Gi-seon, the deputy governor of Hwacheon, to share and discuss operational methods and successful cases.

Then, they moved to Hwacheon Learning Center, toured its main facilities, and were introduced to various support policies. Notably, policies such as 100% university tuition support, residential space subsidies (up to 500,000 KRW per month), and talent development subsidies (up to 2 million KRW annually) attracted attention.

Finally, they visited Solol Art Museum, a representative cultural and artistic space in Gangneung City, to observe the museum’s operation methods and engage in in-depth discussions on exhibition planning and management, visitor management, and cooperation with the local community.

Based on successful operational cases, they also explored directions for the development of cultural and artistic facilities within local governments.

Governor Park Woo-ryang said, “Through this field trip, we were able to explore various solutions to the population extinction problem, and Shinan-gun will also strive to improve the quality of life for local residents and achieve sustainable regional development based on these excellent cases.”