Gumi-si, Future Society Preparation Project ... All-in on Population Recovery

Highest Improvement Rate in Decline Among 10 Cities in the Province

Selected for Excellent Population Growth Policies and Incentive Payments

Since the launch of the 8th term of the Gumi City government in Gyeongbuk Province, all policies have prioritized population recovery, and the population policies pursued with full administrative power have achieved tangible results in mitigating the population decline.

The scene from the 2022 Population Day event.

The city's population growth rate in the first half of 2023 was -0.34%p, showing a significant improvement compared to the -0.73%p growth rate in the first half of last year. This is the highest improvement effect among the 10 city-level local governments in Gyeongbuk Province.

This result is analyzed as the effect of both short-term population inflow policies such as establishing the Population Youth Division, enacting ordinances supporting Gumi City's population increase measures, the "Having an Address" citizen movement, operating on-site civil complaint offices, youth monthly rent support, and promoting university student relocation subsidies, as well as long-term population policies like the Urban Re-creation Project aimed at recovering the population to 410,000.

The city sought the answer to local population decline and regional vitality in youth and set the top priority of population policy as establishing a virtuous cycle support system targeting youth in areas such as education, employment, and settlement, dedicating great effort to discovering various policies for this purpose.

Within one year of the 8th term, the city attracted large-scale investments worth 3.79 trillion KRW, creating jobs along with integrated support for youth employment and startups, youth monthly rent support, and university student relocation subsidies. It also strengthened the foundation for youth policy participation through the Youth Policy Committee and Policy Participation Group, promoted the creation of youth complex spaces, and was selected for the High Vocational Education Hub District (HIVE) project (April), striving to recreate an attractive city centered on youth.

Youth Policy Committee.

In addition, alongside the Urban Re-creation Project for population inflow, the city accelerated preparations for a future society readiness project to adapt to population changes.

Selected for the Millennium Architecture Pilot Village Project (April), improved facilities at Gumi Park Golf Course and expanded sports facilities, expanded senior leisure and welfare facilities such as Gangdong Senior Welfare Center, and operated Gyeongbuk-style Happy Senior Centers, the city is opening an "Active New Senior Era" by supporting leisure activities for the new middle-aged generation, a central pillar in the aging era, and expanding infrastructure for elderly welfare.

Mayor Kim Jang-ho said, "The past year of the 8th term was a year of laying the foundation and securing execution power for recovering the population to 410,000," adding, "We will continue to discover various policies that meet citizens' expectations and do our best to create a city where everyone wants to live."

Over the past year, the city held six policy review meetings and selected over 90 population policies, which underwent evaluations by internal and external experts and final deliberation by the Population Policy Committee, ultimately selecting six exemplary population increase policy cases.

The exemplary cases include four population policies: ▲365 Pediatric and Adolescent Medical Center ▲Full exemption of shared parking fees for multi-child families ▲Creating a childbirth and child-rearing friendly public service culture ▲Expanded support for working capital for small and medium enterprises; and two special policies for towns, townships, and neighborhoods: ▲On-site one-room relocation registration ▲Operation of public-private population welfare consultative body.

The city plans to boost morale and encourage proactive administration by providing various incentives such as rewards, bonuses, and reflecting them in department evaluations for the teams responsible for the selected exemplary policies, and to spread the exemplary cases by sharing achievements and fostering a positive atmosphere to overcome population issues.

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