Gwangyang City Holds 'Gwangyang Citizen Population Policy Roundtable Discussion'

Establishing Gwangyang-Type Population Policies Tailored to Regional Characteristics and Citizen Demand

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] Jeonnam Gwangyang City held the "Gwangyang Citizen Population Policy Roundtable Discussion" on the 20th at Hotel Rakhee in line with the launch of the 8th term of the local government, providing an opportunity for citizens to directly participate and develop population policies.

The discussion was held under the main theme of "Realizing a Happy Gwangyang that Assures a Hopeful Future for All Generations," with about 50 participants including Jeong In-hwa, Mayor of Gwangyang, Seo Young-bae, Chairperson of Gwangyang City Council, related experts, general citizens, and public officials.

In particular, the event aimed to renew awareness of changes in the local population structure caused by low birth rates and aging, and to explore ways to make Gwangyang a place where young people want to stay and a good place to live.

The event included awards for citizen life experience essay contest entries under the theme "I am happy living in Gwangyang," an explanation of the "Gwangyang City Population Policy Implementation Status" by Cho Seon-mi, Director of Strategic Policy Office, a presentation titled "Strategic Response to Population Policy and Finding Citizen-led Solutions" by Min Hyun-jung, Head of the Population Policy Support Research Center at Gwangju Jeonnam Research Institute, followed by a citizen roundtable discussion.

The discussion was divided into four subcommittees: ▲ Expanding residential infrastructure ▲ Creating a child-rearing friendly environment ▲ Creating an environment where young people can work, live, and enjoy life ▲ Supporting a vibrant senior life. Citizens, as policy stakeholders, directly presented their opinions, attending public officials explained the current status, and professional facilitators oversaw the policy development process.

This discussion was meaningful in that, unlike traditional panel-centered discussions, citizens directly participated in the policy development process and summarized and presented the policies discovered, following a demand-driven bottom-up approach.

Participants proposed policies such as creating walking trails linked to new apartment complexes and local areas, supporting care for dual-income couples, customized education for nurturing local youth activists, and creating social contribution-type jobs for retirees, aiming to build a youth- and retiree-friendly community.

The city plans to review the proposed policies in detail through relevant departments and reflect them in the population policy implementation plan for promotion.

Min Hyun-jung, Head of the Population Policy Support Research Center at Gwangju Jeonnam Research Institute, emphasized in her presentation "Strategic Response to Population Policy and Finding Citizen-led Solutions" that "local areas are declining due to deepening low birth rates and aging, and continuous outflow of young people to the metropolitan area," and stressed the need for national-level support and legal system establishment to maintain population and find momentum in local areas.

Cho Seon-mi, Director of Strategic Policy Office, said, "It was a meaningful occasion where citizens, public officials, and specialized institutions put their heads together to seek solutions to population issues tailored to local characteristics," and added, "We will continue to do our best to listen to citizens' valuable opinions and reflect them in policies."

Jeong In-hwa, Mayor of Gwangyang, stated, "Overcoming population issues is a critical task that determines the sustainable future of not only South Korea but also our region," and said, "A certain population size is essential for the city to have competitiveness and continue to grow."

He added, "The valuable opinions of the citizens attending this event will be given top priority in city administration."

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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