Governor Kim Youngrok Encourages Jangheung Family with Seven Children on Population Day

Reaffirming Commitment to Policies for a Better Jeonnam

On July 11, Kim Youngrok, Governor of Jeollanam-do, visited a multi-child family in Jangheung, which is regarded as a symbol of overcoming the population crisis, to celebrate and encourage them on the occasion of the 14th Population Day. He reaffirmed his commitment to policies aimed at realizing 'Jeonnam as a great place to live for everyone, from children to adults and foreigners.'

The family visited gave a warm inspiration to the local community despite the risk of regional extinction due to low birth rates, as their seventh daughter was born in April.

Governor Kim presented the Jeollanam-do Governor's Award in the field of population vitality recovery, commemorating Population Day, to the father. He also delivered an eco-friendly agricultural product package for infants and toddlers (provided by the Eco-friendly Agriculture Division) and the first book gift from the Jeonnam Provincial Library (two picture books for children and one parenting book) to the family that recently gave birth.

The mother said, "I was grateful for the neighbors who congratulated us when our seventh child was born, but I never expected the Governor to visit our home in person. It is a great source of strength to have the community supporting our children to grow up healthy."

In January last year, Jeollanam-do established the nation's first Population, Youth, and Immigration Bureau and declared the beginning of its efforts to overcome regional extinction. Since then, the province has announced the 'Population Transformation Jeonnam Project' to focus all efforts on overcoming the low birth rate crisis and addressing population issues.

This project covers not only housing, youth, and jobs, but also pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and education, encompassing the entire life cycle. It consists of 100 tasks across five key areas: family, opportunity, inflow, settlement, and coexistence.

The core initiatives include: payment of basic birth allowances by Jeollanam-do and its cities and counties; construction of Jeonnam-style '10,000-won housing'; creation of Jeonnam-style '10,000-won second houses'; establishment of an integrated platform for pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare; creation of a 10 billion won Jeonnam Youth Hope Fund; and installation and operation of the Jeonnam Immigration and Foreigner Comprehensive Support Center. In particular, the 'basic birth allowance' is attracting attention as a Jeonnam-style model for responding to low birth rates.

Thanks to these efforts, Jeonnam's total fertility rate in 2024 reached 1.03, ranking first in the nation. The number of births increased by 398 compared to the previous year, marking a rebound for the first time in nine years. The upward trend continued in the first quarter of 2025, with the total fertility rate rising to 1.13.