Yecheon Yonggung-myeon Selected for Ministry of Land’s “Our Neighborhood Revitalization” Project

98 Billion Won Invested in Residential Upgrades and Cheongchun Masil Construction
A New Spring for a Stagnant Village

Yeonggung-myeon, Eupburi in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, has been finally selected for the “2025 Our Neighborhood Revitalization” project, organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

With this achievement, the county has secured 5 billion won in national funding and will invest a total of 9.8 billion won over four years from 2026 to 2029 to improve the residential environment and revitalize the local community.

◆ Transforming Deteriorated Residential Areas into Safe and Pleasant Spaces

Eupburi, the target area, serves as the western gateway to Yecheon but has long been in urgent need of residential improvements due to a concentration of aging buildings, numerous slate roofs, and many vacant homes.

This project will focus on enhancing safety and residential welfare through disaster- and accident-response home repair support, slate roof renovation, the creation of “Safe Alleys” (improving alley landscapes and crime prevention environments), and the demolition of vacant houses to create shared yards.

◆ New “Cheongchun Masil” Community Center: Resident-Led Urban Regeneration

The symbolic achievement of the project will be the construction of the “Cheongchun Masil” community center, which will serve as a hub where residents can interact and enjoy cultural activities.

Additional resident-participation programs will be launched, including the creation of the “Hoesun Health Road” for community wellness, the operation of small parks and garden yards utilizing vacant houses, and a home repair inspection team. These initiatives aim not only for physical improvements but also for the restoration of the local community.

◆ Linked with Revitalization of Local Commercial Districts

Yecheon County will also pursue an economic revitalization strategy linked to Yonggung Sundae Street, the region’s signature specialty district. The plan is to go beyond improving residential environments and expanding living social overhead capital, creating synergy with local businesses to inject new vitality into the stagnant regional economy.

◆ County Governor Kim Hakdong: “Restoring Yonggung as a Destination”

Governor Kim Hakdong stated, “Yonggung-myeon has lost its vitality due to population decline and aging, but through this public project, it will regain new energy, just as the name ‘Hoiryeong Hoesun’ suggests. We will establish a sustainable, resident-led urban regeneration model that will serve as a national example.”

This selection by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for Yecheon’s Yonggung-myeon is significant not only as an environmental improvement project but also as an “experimental ground for revival” to overcome the crisis of rural extinction. If the region’s unique characteristics and resident capabilities are brought together to create a successful model, it is expected to offer new solutions for rural areas across the country struggling with population decline.