Gyeongbuk Province with Twice as Many Elderly as Women of Childbearing Age "Special Legislation Needed"

Jeonnam Province, Ranked No.1 in 'Population Extinction Index,' Collaborates on Drafting Bill and Issues Service Contract

On June 3rd, an elderly man in his 80s who was hospitalized for 99 days due to COVID-19 at Gyeongbuk Andong Medical Center was discharged after being declared fully recovered.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] Gyeongsangbuk-do, considered the region at greatest risk of 'local extinction' along with Jeollanam-do in South Korea, is working hard with Jeollabuk-do to prepare a bill for the 'Special Act on Support for Population Extinction Areas.'

On the 19th, Gyeongsangbuk-do held a mid-term briefing session on the research project for preparing the 'Special Act on Support for Population Extinction Areas' at the Jeollanam-do provincial office meeting room, attended by more than 20 local government officials and private experts. Gyeongsangbuk-do and Jeollanam-do commissioned the 'Special Act Preparation Research Project' in February as a cooperative measure to respond to population decline and local extinction.

According to the 'Local Extinction Index 2019' by the Korea Employment Information Service, among metropolitan local governments, Jeollanam-do (0.44) and Gyeongsangbuk-do (0.50) rank first and second as local extinction areas. The local extinction (risk) index is calculated by dividing the female population aged 20-39 by the population aged 65 and over. An index below 0.5 indicates a region at risk of extinction.

In Gyeongsangbuk-do, except for 4 cities/counties (Gumi, Gyeongsan, Chilgok, Pohang) out of 23 local governments, all are included in the extinction risk areas. Among them, 7 cities/counties (Gunwi, Uiseong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, Cheongdo, Bonghwa, Yeongdeok) are classified as high-risk extinction areas (below 0.2).

The research project, to be completed in September this year, includes contents such as ▲ establishment of a special account and fund for supporting population extinction risk areas ▲ special support for local allocation tax ▲ strengthening education, medical, and welfare support ▲ adjustment of the national treasury burden ratio for six major welfare allowances ▲ expansion of support measures for returning farmers and rural migrants.

The two local governments plan to hold forums in the National Assembly in July and September to gather opinions from experts and citizens and public hearings to build consensus, making every effort to ensure the special act bill passes.

Lee Won-kyung, Director of the Child and Women’s Happiness Bureau of Gyeongsangbuk-do, said, "We are striving to ensure that the special act bill includes all necessary support policies for high-risk local extinction areas," adding, "Through the enactment of the law, we will work to create an attractive Gyeongsangbuk-do where both youth and seniors can live well by achieving sustainable local development and bridging the gap with the metropolitan area."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.