Special Seminar Held at the National Assembly
Even Regional Hub Cities Face Concerns of Extinction
The Council of Mayors, County Governors, and District Chiefs of the Republic of Korea (Chairman: Cho Jaegu, Nam District Chief of Daegu) held a special seminar on strategies to respond to local extinction at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building on July 24, in collaboration with the Korea Research Institute for Local Administration (President: Yuk Dongil). The seminar aimed to explore a variety of practical strategies to address population decline and the crisis of local extinction.
In his congratulatory remarks, Chairman Cho Jaegu emphasized, “This year, there are 188 elementary schools nationwide that could not hold entrance ceremonies due to a lack of new students. It is a serious situation where not only rural areas but also regional hub cities such as Busan, Daegu, and Gwangju are now concerned about local extinction.” He stressed, “We must create a sustainable Republic of Korea where young people who have left can return to their regions and plan for their future.”
Jo Jaegu, Chairman of the Council of Mayors, County Governors, and District Heads, is delivering a congratulatory speech.
Senior Researcher Koo Jeongtae, in his presentation on the first topic, stated, “According to an analysis of the relationship between the total fertility rate and population size in all 226 cities, counties, and districts nationwide as of 2024, counties with populations between 20,000 and 60,000 showed higher fertility rates than Seoul’s autonomous districts with populations between 400,000 and 600,000.”
For example, Yeonggwang County in Jeollanam-do, with a population of 50,000, recorded a fertility rate of 1.71, which is nearly three times higher than Gangnam District in Seoul, with a population of 550,000 and a fertility rate of 0.62. Yeonggwang’s rate is also twice the national average of 0.75 and higher than the OECD average of 1.51. Specifically, Yeonggwang County (population: 52,098) had a fertility rate of 1.71, Gangjin County (population: 32,189) had 1.60, and Hwacheon County (population: 22,922) had 1.51. In contrast, Seoul’s Gangnam District (population: 557,345) had 0.62, Seocho District (population: 408,376) had 0.60, and Songpa District (population: 650,110) had 0.58. According to Statistics Korea as of 2024, the national total fertility rate is 0.75, while the OECD average is 1.51.
Although Seoul continues to attract young people from regional areas, it is believed that high housing prices, high cost of living, fierce competition, and declining quality of life have prevented this inflow from leading to increases in marriage, childbirth, or the overall population.
Furthermore, the fact that Korea’s total fertility rate hit a record low of 0.72 in 2023 but increased to 0.75 in 2024 is seen as a sign of rebound resulting from the efforts of the government and local authorities. It is therefore necessary to implement even stronger policies to address local extinction, including bold and innovative support measures and regulatory reforms.
By analyzing 71 special administrative tasks identified by 89 population-declining areas and 252 policy proposals submitted by cities, counties, and districts during the 8th term of elected local governments, the seminar proposed six key action items, including expanding the local extinction response fund to 5 trillion won.
The seminar was attended by Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wontak and People Power Party lawmaker Kim Hyungdong. Lim Jeongbin, President of the Korean Association for Local Government Studies, served as moderator, and there was a lively discussion among Kang Gukjin, reporter for the Seoul Shinmun, Kim Sangmin, professor at Chungnam National University, Park Jungkeun, Director of the Balanced Development System Division at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Lee Sangbeom, Director of Policy Research at the Council, and Choi Chungik, professor at Kangwon National University.
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