Yeonggwang-gun Achieves This Year's 'Population, Employment, Marriage and Childbirth, Youth Policy' Goals

[Yeonggwang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters reporter Lee Seong-jeong] Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Kim Junsung) announced on the 29th that it has achieved great results in the 2020 customized population, jobs, marriage and childbirth, and youth policies, which were enthusiastically promoted to create a happy Yeonggwang together with the residents.

The county achieved first place nationwide with a total fertility rate of 2.54 announced by Statistics Korea last year, and was selected for the highest award in the Jeollanam-do low birth rate city and county evaluation and the highest award for two consecutive years in the Jeollanam-do job creation comprehensive evaluation.

In addition, Juksin Village in Gunnam-myeon won the highest award in the population policy excellent village evaluation hosted by Jeollanam-do, and Jinaedeul Agricultural Cooperative Corporation won the highest award at the national village enterprise competition hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, showing remarkable achievements.

At the beginning of this year, to actively respond to the increasingly serious population decline problem, the population target was set at 54,000, and population policies have been continuously implemented.

The county established a five-year population policy plan and implemented a population policy implementation plan consisting of 82 projects in three areas, and recruited 40 households to support loan interest for housing purchase and jeonse funds to improve the housing environment for newlyweds and multi-child families.

To encourage participation in the ‘My Workplace Address Movement,’ population decline overcoming agreements were signed with 281 local companies and enterprises, and regional settlement was induced through ‘visiting address transfer services’ and cooperation from executives and employees of institutions and social organizations.

Juksin Village in Gunnam-myeon achieved the great success of winning the highest award in the population policy excellent village evaluation hosted by Jeollanam-do as a result of creating an atmosphere of participation in overcoming population problems and actively participating in population policy implementation.

In the job sector, the county won the highest award for two consecutive years in the Jeollanam-do job creation evaluation.

Through the region-led youth job project, 74 jobs were provided to young people through seven projects, and efforts were made to cultivate demand-oriented professional manpower such as vocational training for 30 local unemployed people and drone expert training for 17 people.

The county recently opened the Yeonggwang Employment Welfare Center, the first in Jeollanam-do, and has begun full-scale operation. It is expected to be of great help in employment support for job seekers, employers, and women with career interruptions, centered on the National Employment Support System to be implemented from next year.

The marriage and childbirth policy, which greatly helped alleviate the population decline trend in the county last year, also achieved excellent results.

The county supported transportation cards for pregnant women’s mobility convenience, provided childbirth supplies and newborn care expenses to reduce the economic burden caused by childbirth and childcare for families with newborns, and actively implemented customized childbirth promotion policies such as happy trips for multi-child families, leading the creation of a childbirth-friendly atmosphere.

As the first in the nation, various youth support policies were promoted, including the Youth Development Fund with a goal of 10 billion KRW (8 billion KRW raised), youth employment activity allowance support, operation of the Youth Hope Stepping Stone Account, and creation of a workshop street where youth can dream.

Governor Kim Junsung said, “I am grateful for the active cooperation of the Yeonggwang County Council, institutions, social organizations, and residents for achieving various results including first place nationwide in total fertility rate amid the serious crisis of local extinction due to population decline,” and added, “We will not be satisfied with this year’s achievements and will do our best to make next year a happier county where it is better to live and raise children.”

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