"If Young People Leave, the City Leaves Too"... Youth as the Solution to Local Extinction, Pohang City Takes On the Challenge Head-On

Joint Regional Economy Seminar Held with Bank of Korea Pohang Headquarters
Diagnosing Causes of Youth Outflow and Seeking Policy Alternatives in Employment, Education, and Housing

On the 19th, Pohang City jointly held a regional economy seminar with the Bank of Korea Pohang Headquarters (headed by Nam Taekjeong) in the main conference room at City Hall.

Pohang City jointly held a regional economy seminar with the Bank of Korea Pohang Headquarters on the 19th. Photo by Pohang City

This seminar was organized under the theme "Policy Directions and Challenges for Attracting Young People in the Era of Local Extinction," aiming to diagnose the structural causes of youth outflow from the region and to seek effective policy alternatives.

Park Juhui, former Secretary General of the Youth Foundation, gave the first keynote presentation on "Exploring Policy Directions for Attracting Young People to Pohang City." She analyzed the current status of youth policies in Gyeongbuk Province and Pohang City and presented comprehensive policy directions, including expanding opportunities for employment, education, housing, and policy participation to attract more young people.

In the second presentation, Choi Seungjoo, professor at Seoul National University, discussed "Analysis of Regional Job Preferences Among Young People: Focusing on Pohang." He presented the results of a workplace selection experiment conducted by the Bank of Korea and external researchers with over 3,000 young people nationwide.

Professor Choi suggested that allocating limited policy resources with strategic targeting toward young people in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region and prioritizing local internship programs could enhance the effectiveness of attracting young people to the region.

During the subsequent expert panel discussion, Jo Taehyung, Deputy Director of the Bank of Korea Economic Research Institute, served as moderator. Panelists included Lee Dayoung, member of the Pohang City Council; Lee Youngjae, professor at the Department of Economics and Trade at Kyungpook National University; and Son Donggwang, chairperson of the Gyeongbuk Youth Policy Coordination Committee. They engaged in an in-depth discussion on the effectiveness and future directions of local youth policies.

Mayor Lee Kangdeok stated, "Local extinction and youth outflow are not issues limited to certain regions, but structural problems directly linked to the sustainability of the entire nation. We will actively reflect the expert opinions presented at this seminar in our policies to create a sustainable Pohang where future generations want to stay."