To Prevent Regional Extinction, 24 Counties Nationwide Gather in Gokseong-gun, Jeonnam

Gokseong-gun Holds 2021 Special County Legislation Promotion Council Second Half Regular Meeting -

Calls for Enactment of Special Act for Population Declining Areas and Priority Support for Member Counties of the Special County Council

[Gokseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Cha Jong-sun] Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do announced on the 25th that 24 member counties of the Special County Legislation Promotion Council (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Special County Council’) gathered in Gokseong-gun to promote balanced regional development and overcome the crisis of population extinction.

The Special County Council (Chairman Yoo Geun-gi, Gokseong-gun Governor) held the ‘2021 Special County Legislation Promotion Council Second Half Regular Meeting’ on the 24th at the Gokseong-gun Citizens’ Hall in Jeollanam-do. At the meeting, discussions were held on major issues such as preparing response measures by the council following the designation and announcement of population decline areas by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, national balanced development, and strengthening local finances.

The meeting was attended by the governors and vice governors of the 24 member counties and about 80 related officials. They resolved to elect the next officers to lead the Special County Council, propose priority support for member counties designated as population decline areas, and adopt a resolution urging the enactment of a special law for population decline areas.

As a result of the meeting, the next officers elected were Jang Jeong-min, Ongjin-gun Governor; Choi Myung-seo, Yeongwol-gun Governor; Shim Min, Imsil-gun Governor; Kim Soon-ho, Gurye-gun Governor; Kim Young-man, Gunwi-gun Governor; and Oh Tae-wan, Uiryeong-gun Governor. They will serve as vice chairmen of the Special County Council for the next two years and contribute to the legislation of the special county law.

Regarding the designation of population decline areas by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, a resolution was adopted to prioritize administrative and financial support for the Special County Council member counties among the 89 designated population decline areas. The drafted resolution will be directly delivered by the chairpersons to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Assembly.

Additionally, a resolution urging the prompt enactment of the ‘Special Act on Support for Population Decline Areas,’ currently pending in the National Assembly, was adopted. The member counties plan to publicize the necessity and urgency of systematic institutional support for population decline areas by delivering the resolution to relevant agencies. In particular, they agreed to actively promote population decline response projects by establishing a policy response network among regions during this process.

Chairman Yoo Geun-gi (Gokseong-gun Governor) emphasized, “The rapid progress of previously stalled local extinction measures was largely due to the role of our Special County Council.” He also requested active participation and cooperation from member counties to take a further step forward in the council’s second term.

Meanwhile, the Special County Legislation Promotion Council consists of 24 county-level local governments nationwide with populations under 30,000 or population densities below 40 people per square kilometer. Currently, member counties include Ongjin-gun in Incheon Metropolitan City; Hongcheon-gun, Yeongwol-gun, Pyeongchang-gun, Jeongseon-gun, Hwacheon-gun, Yanggu-gun, Inje-gun, Goseong-gun, Yangyang-gun in Gangwon-do; Jinan-gun, Muju-gun, Jangsu-gun, Imsil-gun, Sunchang-gun in Jeonbuk; Gokseong-gun, Gurye-gun in Jeonnam; Gunwi-gun, Cheongsong-gun, Yeongyang-gun, Bonghwa-gun, Ulleung-gun in Gyeongbuk; Uiryeong-gun in Gyeongnam; and Danyang-gun in Chungbuk.

Gokseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Cha Jong-sun cha6960@asiae.co.kr

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