Yeoncheon and Three Other Gyeongin Population Decline Areas Jointly Request Inclusion in Local Priority Policies

On August 27, the four basic local governments of Yeoncheon County and Gapyeong County in Gyeonggi Province, as well as Ganghwa County and Ongjin County in Incheon, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall, urging the government to include the population decline areas of the Gyeongin region in the local priority policy fields promoted for balanced growth.

Kim Deokhyun, Yeoncheon County Governor (center), Seo Taewon, Gapyeong County Governor, and the four basic local governments of Incheon Ganghwa County and Ongjin County held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the 27th, urging the government to include the population decline areas of the Gyeongin region in the local priority policy fields promoted for balanced growth. Provided by Yeoncheon County

Recently announced measures to revitalize local economies and promote mutually beneficial consumption, among other policies, have been established as local priority policies targeting non-metropolitan areas.

In response, the four population decline areas of the Gyeongin region jointly emphasized that they are not "invisible regions" overshadowed by the metropolitan area, but rather regions suffering on the front lines of national balanced development, and called for their inclusion in local priority policies.

Yeoncheon, Gapyeong, Ganghwa, and Ongjin, the four population decline areas, are border regions that have endured special sacrifices for national security for over 70 years since the Korean War. At the same time, they are facing the crisis of local extinction due to low birth rates, an aging population, and population outflow. However, because they are classified as part of the metropolitan area under the Metropolitan Area Readjustment Planning Act, they have been excluded from various government support policies.

Kim Deokhyun, Governor of Yeoncheon County, stated, "Border regions such as Yeoncheon County, which have endured the pain of national security and division, are areas that have made special sacrifices. The designation of Yeoncheon County as a population decline area, despite being part of the metropolitan area, was a special reward for those sacrifices. The four population decline areas of the Gyeongin region must also be included in local priority policies so that they can overcome the crisis of local extinction and achieve a new leap forward."

Meanwhile, the four population decline areas of the Gyeongin region plan to jointly promote various population policies, such as discovering projects linked to the Local Extinction Response Fund and devising practical measures to attract new residents.