Chungnam Province "Naepo Population Nears 35,000... Escaping Stagnation"

There is an analysis that the population status of Naepo New Town in Chungnam has shifted from a stagnation phase to an upward trend. This is attributed to the increase in apartment move-in volumes since the second half of last year, along with the early opening of a general hospital and the anticipation of attracting public institutions from the Seoul metropolitan area.

Exterior view of Chungnam Provincial Government Building located in Naepo New Town. Photo by Yonhap News

According to Chungnam Province on the 14th, as of the end of last month, the population of Naepo New Town was recorded at 34,229. Naepo New Town, launched at the end of 2012, had a population of only 509 at that time.

Afterwards, the population rapidly increased to 10,950 by the end of 2015 and 20,162 by the end of 2016, but from 2017 until last year, the population of Naepo New Town remained in the 20,000 range, showing a period of stagnation.

This stagnation somewhat eased between July and October last year as five apartment complexes were occupied. In October of last year, when apartment move-ins took place, the population of Naepo New Town surpassed 30,000 for the first time, reaching 30,338, and this year the population has increased by an average of 315.75 people per month.

When dividing the population of Naepo New Town by administrative districts as of the end of last month, 25,970 residents were registered in Hongbuk-eup (Singyeong-ri), and 8,259 in Sapgyo-eup (Mok-ri).

By gender, females numbered 17,177 (50.2%), slightly more than males at 17,052 (49.8%).

By age group, those in their 40s were the largest at 6,953 (20.3%), followed by those in their 30s at 6,242 (18.2%), under 10 years old at 4,810 (14.1%), teenagers at 4,601 (13.4%), those in their 50s at 4,476 (13.1%), 20s at 3,510 (10.3%), 60s at 2,443 (7.1%), and 70s at 807 (2.4%).

When grouped by age range, the population aged 40 and below totaled 26,116, accounting for 76.3% of the total population of Naepo New Town. This suggests that parents in their 30s and 40s live with children aged 10 and under, making up a significant portion of Naepo New Town’s population composition.

Chungnam Province believes that the recent shift from stagnation to an upward trend in Naepo New Town’s population is due not only to the expanded supply of apartment move-in volumes but also to the significant improvement in living conditions within the residential area.

A Chungnam Province official stated, “It is true that the population of Naepo New Town still falls short of the originally planned level. However, with the recent increase in apartment move-in volumes, the early opening of a general hospital, the attraction of public institutions and companies, and the visible improvement of living conditions such as the connection to the Seohae Line KTX, we expect the population of Naepo New Town to grow more rapidly in the future.”

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