Goryeong-gun Establishes Nation's First Social Cooperative for Resident Population

In an era of regional extinction risk due to population decline, the concept of living population, emerging as a new alternative to revitalize local areas, is being concretely demonstrated through cases of coexistence with local residents in Goryeong-gun.

Goryeong-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, has been promoting a project to cultivate ‘fansumers’?fans and consumers of the region?targeting middle-aged people from the metropolitan area through a living population specialization project from 2023 to 2024, successfully nurturing about 40 fansumers. Even after the project ended, these fansumers continue to maintain relationships with local residents and pursue progressive initiatives.

In particular, on February 21, the ‘Goryeong-gun Living Population Social Cooperative’ held its inaugural general meeting and took its first step. The cooperative was launched with the purpose of creating new living population in Goryeong-gun and revitalizing the region through this, gathering the hearts of 15 members: 8 fansumers from the metropolitan area and 7 local residents. The cooperative plans to officially begin activities around June after filing for establishment with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and completing the approval process.

Goryeong County is establishing a Social Cooperative for the Resident Population. Photo by Goryeong County

At the inaugural general meeting, Lee Hyang-mi, elected as the first chairperson, said, “We plan to build a cooperative that creates social value by combining the strength of residents and the living population to revitalize the local economy and solve community issues. To this end, we will carry out projects to create living population such as workation and living experience programs, support projects to strengthen regional competitiveness like consulting for traditional markets and small businesses, and community exchange projects including book talks and communication concerts.”

Also, on February 20, at the general meeting of the ‘Deokgok Development Committee Agricultural Cooperative Corporation Yemaeul,’ the membership of 15 Goryeong-gun fansumers was approved, showing another example of coexistence between living population and the region.

Yemaeul is a rural experience village located in Deokgok-myeon, Goryeong-gun, operated by residents participating as cooperative members. Equipped with pensions and caravans, it offers various experiences such as strawberry harvesting, operates a large outdoor water playground in summer, and manufactures and sells ‘Yeddalpyu,’ a processed strawberry product. Through these active businesses, it was selected as the highest grade ‘Eutteumchon’ in the 2024 rural tourism business rating.

Yemaeul Chairman Bae Cheol-heon expressed, “We are very pleased to welcome living population members who have extensive experience and know-how from the metropolitan area as cooperative members,” and added, “We expect to develop into a more advanced rural experience village together with them.”

Park Hyun-jung, a Goryeong-gun fansumer who recently became a cooperative member, said, “I am happy to share a new chapter of life as a member of Yemaeul in Goryeong-gun, which feels like my second hometown. Middle-aged people like me from the metropolitan area can gain new experiences and inspiration in the provinces, and it is very rewarding to connect the areas we know well and excel in to the local community.” She added, “I hope such exchanges will continue to expand and become more active.”

The small changes occurring in Goryeong-gun and the voluntary efforts of living population and local residents to coexist and develop together are expected to bear greater fruit and become a new paradigm of regional vitality through living population.

Goryeong-gun is holding the inaugural general meeting of the Living Population Social Cooperative. Photo by Goryeong-gun

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