Suncheon-si, Overcoming Local Extinction by Expanding Resident Population in the 8th Elected Term

Increase in Population Crossing Regions for Exchange and Stay

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik] Suncheon City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Noh Gwan-gyu) announced on the 27th that its population policy for the 8th term of the local government aims to realize a city specialized in well-being, health, and happiness that aligns with the era's trend where individual life is important, in addition to policies addressing low birthrate and an aging society.

Until now, the national and local governments have competitively expanded childbirth promotion policies, investing significant budgets to increase the birthrate, but they have not been able to reverse the trend of the population cliff era.

Suncheon City is not yet designated as a population decline area, but after peaking in population growth in 2020, the decline has begun. Rural areas at the eup and myeon levels are rapidly decreasing due to low birthrate and aging phenomena similar to other county-level local governments, making the situation concerning.

Accordingly, the city has selected five key tasks under the keywords of economic vitality, childcare environment, youth settlement, rural vitality, and cultural tourism.

▶ Introduction of a new population concept and establishment of a system to expand the living population

Simply increasing the resident registration population through childbirth promotion and relocation support policies, and population poaching between regions, does not help increase the national total population. Therefore, a new population concept that can sustain local areas will be introduced.

To establish the system basis, a basic ordinance on population policy will be enacted to provide a legal basis for the concept of "living population." The "living population" refers to people who, even without permanent residence, interact with the region in various forms such as commuting, tourism, and leisure, consuming and contributing to the area.

Additionally, the city plans to form a population policy committee to redefine the mid- to long-term population policy direction and to supplement existing ordinances to realize policies that meet field demands.

▶ Strengthening support for marriage, childbirth, and childcare to create a child-friendly environment

The city will alleviate the economic burden caused by child-rearing and expand support policies centered on children throughout their growth stages from pregnancy and childbirth to childcare and education, creating a favorable childcare environment.

Main policies include ▲doubling the childbirth incentive from 5 million KRW to up to 20 million KRW ▲support for infant development counseling ▲flexible class size organization in daycare centers for ages 0 to 1 ▲expansion of free childcare through support for specialized education expenses in daycare centers ▲expansion of public daycare centers to 30 locations by 2025 ▲one-on-one care services for hospitalized children ▲introduction of elementary school enrollment support funds, and through national subsidy project competitions, strengthening gap childcare by providing housekeeping services for dual-income single-parent families and establishing an infant-dedicated childcare platform.

▶ Strengthening youth policies to support youth settlement and dreams

Support for youth, who are the main agents in overcoming low birthrate and future parents, will be further strengthened.

With administrative reorganization, a Youth Policy Division will be established to help youth stay, realize their dreams, and settle in the region. Focus will be placed on capacity-building activities, employment and start-up jobs, marriage and childbirth, and housing policies.

Key policies include ▲establishment and operation of a youth center ▲support for youth retention incentives ▲fostering youth with annual salaries over 100 million KRW ▲support for youth start-ups ▲smart farm youth farmer development projects ▲youth housing supply ▲interest support for newlywed couple rental deposits ▲wedding congratulatory funds for young couples.

▶ First implementation of the Hometown Love Donation System to supplement local finances and promote economic vitality

To ensure the efficient and stable establishment of the "Hometown Love Donation System" starting next year, thorough preparation and management systems will be established.

This system involves voluntary donations from out-of-town residents who support their hometown, supplementing poor local finances and contributing to citizens' welfare in culture, arts, and health. Through this, it aims to build strong ties with the region, increase attachment and interest, and lay the foundation for turning visits into migration by forming a resident population and local community.

The city is building a public-private cooperation system through agreements with related organizations and councils to raise welfare funds for residents, and is establishing an aggressive promotional strategy targeting out-of-town residents, including recruiting ambassadors. On the 21st, the city selected donor gifts that best represent Suncheon and is accelerating efforts to secure funds with a goal of 1 billion KRW in 2023.

▶ Urban space reorganization and improvement of rural settlement conditions to attract population from the metropolitan area

In the mid- to long-term, the city will respond to the crisis of local extinction by recreating urban spaces and improving rural living environments.

Investments will be made to renew the city through ▲Old downtown renaissance projects ▲maintenance of aging apartment complexes and urban streams ▲creation of premium residential complexes ▲development of roads suitable for walking and cycling ▲establishment of bus-only lanes.

Additionally, policies will be developed to attract the metropolitan area's baby boomer generation, who are beginning retirement and represent the highest age group ratio, encouraging their return and relocation.

Projects to revitalize rural living areas include ▲creation of farmers' houses ▲experience programs to live in Suncheon ▲provision of information for returnees and migrants ▲establishment of rural study villages, expected to position Suncheon as the number one destination for retirees returning home.

▶ Completion of a city with 10 million related population through ecological tourism resources

Since COVID-19, citizens need more rest and recharging in life.

Suncheon City, rich in ecological tourism resources, has been certified as a K-Wellness city and has been listed as a wellness tourism destination by the Korea Tourism Organization for four consecutive times. In 2022, it won an excellence award in Jeollanam-do's population policy evaluation by highlighting the strengths of an ecological city. It has proven itself as Korea's top healing city. Using this momentum, the city is fostering new industries to prepare for the next 100 years.

Going forward, the city plans to revise the K-Wellness ordinance and develop wellness travel routes throughout the city, including ▲operation of K-Wellness Day ▲Suncheonman Eosing-gil (barefoot walking) free walking program ▲Suncheon-style health tours ▲World Heritage tours ▲Korea Dulle-gil, aiming to become the best tourist destination recommended by locals and a city with 10 million related population.

Mayor Noh Gwan-gyu of Suncheon emphasized, "To prevent population concentration in the metropolitan area, we must find win-win solutions through cooperation and solidarity among local governments, such as environmental and tourism systems and wide-area resource facilities, rather than competing for population between regions." He added, "We will take a leading role as a central city of a wide-area mega city to disperse the metropolitan population to local areas."

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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