Yeongwol County Selected as the Only Outstanding Region in Gangwon for the 2026 Local Extinction Response Fund

Serving as a Population Hub in Southern Gangwon
Fully Prepared to Attract New Residents

Yeongwol County in Gangwon Province announced on December 4 that it was the only region in the province to be finally selected as an "Outstanding Region" in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's evaluation of the 2026 Local Extinction Response Fund investment plans, securing 12 billion won in national funding and receiving up to 4.8 billion won more support than other local governments.

Aerial view of Yeongwol County Office.

The Local Extinction Response Fund is a large-scale fiscal program in which the central government provides 1 trillion won annually to local governments for 10 years, aiming to address regional population decline caused by low birth rates, aging populations, and youth outmigration, as well as to promote balanced national development.

The county systematically prepared for the selection as an outstanding region by actively reflecting the opinions of local residents and project participants, receiving continuous consulting from the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, and collaborating with local National Assembly member Yoo Sangbum to identify investment projects.

From July to November, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety finalized the evaluation grades and allocation amounts for each local government through document review, on-site visits, and in-person evaluations. Only eight out of 89 local governments designated as population decline areas were selected as "Outstanding Regions."

The 2026 investment plan evaluation introduced a new evaluation and allocation system following the launch of the new administration. Local governments were encouraged to identify and organize program projects that could generate substantial population inflows, focusing on existing investment projects, and these efforts were thoroughly reflected and examined in the evaluation.

Notably, Yeongwol County's key investment project for 2025-the Bongraesan Landmark Project, which utilizes idle spaces around Yeongwol Station, and the Yeongwol Youth-Friendly Vitality Zone Project, which significantly expands support for youth entrepreneurship and the resident population-once again received positive reviews from the evaluation committee. This demonstrated the consistency and validity of Yeongwol County's investment direction for the Local Extinction Response Fund, as the project was previously introduced as a national best practice in the 2025 investment plan.

Since the introduction of the Local Extinction Response Fund in 2022, the county has invested in projects such as the construction of a public postpartum care center, the creation of Donggang Yeongwol The Well Town, the establishment of the Youth Startup Imagination Hub, the Small School Hope Project, the development of a drone industry cluster, and the construction of a digital ICT convalescent hospital. These initiatives represent a comprehensive response across all areas related to local extinction, including settlement, education, healthcare, culture, tourism, industry, and employment.

These efforts led to the successful attraction of 237 rural study students and their families, and resulted in the county being selected as a pilot project for the Special Education Development Zone in July 2024. Furthermore, the opening of the public postpartum care center in November 2025 is expected to alleviate the difficulties faced by mothers in the southern region of Gangwon (Yeongwol, Pyeongchang, Jeongseon) who previously had to travel outside the area to give birth.

Jeon Daebok, Deputy Governor of Yeongwol County and head of the county's Local Extinction Response Task Force, personally presented at the in-person evaluation and emphasized, "By 2025, all investment projects in the county will have reached advanced stages of completion, and we will further strengthen our efforts so that residents can truly feel the impact of these achievements."

He added, "We will make 2026 the inaugural year for overcoming the crisis of local extinction and firmly establish Yeongwol County as a central city in the southern region of Gangwon Province."

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