Boseong County to Invest 29.4 Billion Won in Local Extinction Response Fund This Year

'Golden Time' to Overcome Population Extinction Crisis
Launching Strategies for Jobs, Youth, and Education

Boseong County in South Jeolla Province announced on January 19 that it has designated 2026 as the 'golden time' to overcome the crisis of population extinction and will fully implement the '2026 Local Extinction Response Fund Implementation Plan' with a total project budget of 29.4 billion won.

Boseong County has detected signs of a population rebound, such as a net inflow (+380 people) since 1995, a total fertility rate of 1.2 (ranked 17th nationwide), a 12.7% increase in the number of births projected for 2025, notable university admissions from Beolgyo High School for the 2026 academic year (2 students admitted to Seoul National University, 10 to medical and dental schools), and a sharp rise in student inflow (incentives for new residents paid out at 3.3 times the previous year's level). In response, the county has decided to make focused investments.

Boseong County Government Building Exterior View

Additionally, the county plans to establish a mid- to long-term master plan to address population decline from 2027 to 2031, preparing for population sustainability over the next century.

This year's Local Extinction Response Fund implementation plan is guided by the vision, "Drawing the Future! Dreaming Green on the Tea Fields, Opening Boseong's Future!" The county has set core targets of increasing the resident population by 3,000, boosting the youth population by 500, and achieving a resident satisfaction score of at least 30 points.

Since 2022, Boseong County has secured the Local Extinction Response Fund and invested a total of 24.5 billion won in nine ongoing projects, including the Boseong Promenade Development Project, the creation of the Second Joseong Agro-Industrial Complex, the Boseong Tea Industry Revitalization Strategy Project, the Green Tea Village Workation, the Green Slow Village, and the Boseong Youth Growth Center.

This year, in addition to existing projects, the county will launch nine new projects totaling 4.9 billion won, such as the Yulpo Youth Vitality ON Platform, the Beolgyo Cockle Ribbon Project, the Boseong All-in-One Startup Growth Link Project, the Boseong Village Steward, and the Youth Sports Infrastructure Development Project.

The core strategy is to upgrade key hubs. Through the Boseong Promenade Development Project (7 billion won), the county will create a startup street and the Yulpo Beach Communication Plaza. In conjunction, the Yulpo Youth Vitality ON Platform (2.5 billion won) will be promoted to expand youth activity infrastructure, including a youth market and parking facilities.

In the Yeojaman area, the Beolgyo Cockle Ribbon Project (1 billion won) will focus on restoring cockle resources, developing the Beolgyo cockle package, establishing a nighttime landscape for the cockle street, and fostering local creators, thereby actively attracting both residents and tourists.

The Boseong All-in-One Startup Growth Link Project (800 million won) will be implemented through five sub-projects: the Community Growth Clinic, the Boseong Mutual Growth Link Project, the Boseong N-Jobber Hub, the Boseong Seedling Nurturing Center, and the Boseong DoDream Stay. This will establish a step-by-step support system from startup to settlement.