Hwacheon County Tops Province in '2025 Best Practices for Population Decline Response' Evaluation
Supporting Care and Housing Stability through Child-Rearing-Friendly Villages and Newlywed Rental Housing
Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province has been selected as the top local government in the province in the '2025 Best Practices for Population Decline Response' evaluation conducted by the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province.
A view of the newly completed rental housing for newlyweds in Georye-ri, Hanam-myeon, Hwacheon County last month. Provided by Hwacheon County
On December 26, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province selected Hwacheon County's project, 'The Greatest Gift of a Lifetime: Hwacheon-Style Home, Education + Care + Housing Package, Creation of a Child-Rearing-Friendly Village in Hwacheon,' as the best case for responding to population decline.
This evaluation was conducted to identify outstanding cases in overcoming the population decline crisis in the province, to seek directions for improvement in the coming year, and to maximize policy effectiveness.
Hwacheon County's model received high marks for providing a package of support that addresses the burdens of children's education and care, as well as housing insecurity, which are the main obstacles to marriage and childbirth among the younger generation.
The county has continued to provide support in the area of education costs, including covering 100% of the actual tuition paid by county residents for their university-enrolled children for four years, housing subsidies, and study abroad expenses for top universities worldwide.
For elementary school children, the county holds learning camps during every school vacation to reduce the burden of private education costs for parents, and supports overseas language training and backpacking trips for elementary, middle, and high school students every year.
In the area of care, Hwacheon County is operating the Hwacheon Community Center, the first all-day care facility led by a local government in Korea, and plans to build an additional community center in Sanae-myeon next year.
Additionally, the county completed newlywed rental housing last month to ensure housing stability for newly married couples. Residents can have 90% of their rental deposit and rent reduced, allowing them to live there for the first five years by paying only 36,000 won per month.
Afterward, for each child born, the residency period is extended by five years, allowing families to live there stably for up to 30 years.
Beyond this, the county is also accelerating the construction of rental housing for young people, including the creation of a child-rearing-friendly village.
Choi Moonsun, Mayor of Hwacheon County, said, "The core of the Hwacheon-style model is to substantially ease the burdens of children's education, care, and housing insecurity," adding, "We always keep our ears open to the voices of policy beneficiaries to ensure the effectiveness of our policies."
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