Sokcho Tops Province's Population Decline Areas with Highest Per Visitor Card Spending of 150,000 Won

Sokcho Boasts Overwhelming Living Population Density per Unit Area
A "High-Density Tourist City" with Seven Times the Concentration of Gangneung
Proving the Economic Vitality of a "High-Consumption, High-Density" Area
Accelerating Strategies for a Stay-Oriented and Settler-Friendly City

The average card spending per visitor to Sokcho City, Gangwon Province, was calculated at 150,000 won, making Sokcho the top city in terms of visitor consumption competitiveness among population decline (of interest) areas within the province.

A panoramic view of Sokcho Tourism and Fisheries Market in February 2025. Provided by Sokcho City

This result is based on an analysis of the “Living Population Estimation for Population Decline Areas in Q3 2025,” jointly announced by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Data Agency on February 24. The living population is calculated by adding the resident registered population and the temporary population in accordance with the Special Act on Supporting Areas of Population Decline. For the temporary population, only those who stay for at least three hours in one day, once a month, are counted.

Previously, under the Special Act on Decentralization and Balanced Regional Development, 12 cities and counties in the province were designated as population decline areas. Beginning this year, four additional areas (Gangneung, Donghae, Sokcho, Inje) have been newly designated as areas of population decline interest. The only two cities in the province not included in either the population decline or population decline interest categories are Chuncheon and Wonju.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's living population estimates for Q3 2025, Sokcho ranked at the top in key indicators compared to the average for the province's decline (of interest) areas. The average card spending per visitor was 150,000 won, ranking first among decline (of interest) areas in the province. The living population per unit area was also the highest, recorded at 8,771 persons per square kilometer. The temporary population multiple was 10.3 times, and the proportion of visitors from other provinces was 88.1%, the highest among areas of decline interest.

The living population per unit area is derived from Sokcho's average living population of approximately 927,000 during Q3 2025, divided by its administrative area of 105.76 square kilometers. This indicator represents the spatial concentration of the actual active population, serving as a key metric for gauging the vibrancy of commercial districts and the vitality of the city.

Sokcho’s figure of 8,771 persons per square kilometer is about 4.1 times higher than Donghae, about 7 times higher than Gangneung, and approximately 46 times higher than Inje, demonstrating that living, tourism, and consumption demand are most densely concentrated in Sokcho within Gangwon Province.

This analysis indicates that Sokcho has developed beyond being a simple tourist destination and has become a “high-consumption, high-density visitor city.”

Meanwhile, in order to respond proactively to this new designation, the city has officially launched the “Sokcho City Basic and Implementation Plan for Population Decline Response” project in March, covering 2027 through 2031. The plan includes strategies for converting visitors into longer-term stays and permanent residents, policies linking second homes and workations, measures to attract more young people and increase the living population, and proactive strategies for securing central government funding. The city aims to ensure that the designation as an area of decline interest leads not only to administrative recognition but also to substantial financial support and strengthened policy implementation.

Scene from the Yeongnangho Cherry Blossom Festival in April 2025. Courtesy of Sokcho City

Lee Byeongseon, Mayor of Sokcho, stated, “These statistics show that Sokcho has established a structure where visits go beyond simple tourism and actually translate into consumption and revitalization of the local economy. In particular, the fact that the per capita visitor spending is the highest in the province is a meaningful indicator confirming the qualitative competitiveness of Sokcho tourism.”

He added, “The designation as an area of population decline interest is not a crisis but an opportunity for Sokcho to advance strategically within the framework of national population policy. We will actively utilize central government support systems to proactively secure special grants and local extinction response funds, and achieve a structural transformation that connects the strengths of a visitor city to longer-term stays and permanent residency.”

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