Jindo County Council Holds Forum for 'Jindo County Youth Population Increase Research Group'

Published 23 Oct.2023 16:46(KST)

Chairman Jang Young-woo: "Actively and Constructively Respond to Overcome Population Extinction"

The Jindo County Council in Jeollanam-do held a policy forum organized by the council members' research group, the ‘Jindo County Youth Population Increase Research Association,’ to explore measures for attracting young people.

According to the county council, the policy forum was held under the theme ‘Measures for Attracting and Nurturing Young Farmers and Fishermen to Counter Regional Extinction,’ with participants including Professor Lim Sang-sang from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Dr. Kim Hong-gil, a political science and diplomacy Ph.D. from Chonnam National University, Dr. Myung Dong-ho, a kimchi studies Ph.D. from the Diaspora Department at Chonnam National University, and Gwak Geu-ru, a member of the Youth Policy Council.

Jindo County Council is taking a commemorative photo after completing the Jindo County Youth Population Increase Research Group Policy Forum.
[Photo by Jindo County Council]

The main topics included △inviting families of Koryoin compatriots to Jindo County △the current status and actual conditions of foreigner-specific visas in depopulated areas △cases of attracting and settling domestic youth in Jindo County, among which opinions were exchanged on practical measures that can be applied in Jindo County in the future.

Gwak Geu-ru, a member of the Youth Policy Council, said, “I hope we can focus on qualitative growth of the local population rather than quantitative growth through indiscriminate foreigner influx,” adding, “We should promote population inflow through job creation based on the unique images of local governments such as Gapyeong and Yangyang in Gyeonggi-do, which are centers of pension and leisure industries.”

Jang Young-woo, chairman of the Jindo County Council, stated, “We formed the Jindo County Youth Population Increase Research Association to raise awareness of the crisis of local extinction and to devise countermeasures,” and added, “I hope we can respond actively and constructively to attract population by creating conditions where young people can return to overcome population extinction.”