Boryeong: "Committed to Solid Employment" · Cheongyang: "Establishing a Virtuous Cycle with Basic Income"

Both Local Governments Announce This Year's Employment Rates
Demonstrating Commitment to Economic Revitalization

Boryeong City and Cheongyang County in South Chungcheong Province have each announced their 2026 employment rates, staking their claims on revitalizing the local economy.

While Boryeong City is focusing on maintaining solid employment amid the crisis of a declining population and entry into a super-aged society, Cheongyang County is taking an aggressive policy stance with basic income as its central theme.

Boryeong City has announced an employment rate target of 73.0% for this year and the creation of 6,331 jobs.

A city official stated that the current population of 92,117 represents a 1.8% decline from the previous year, accelerating the pace of population decrease, and that the proportion of elderly residents aged 65 or older has reached 36.9%, marking the entry into a super-aged society.

The city has chosen a straightforward approach to overcome these adverse conditions. It plans to increase the number of jobs by 70 compared to the previous year and expand its budget by 22%, committing to job creation as a top priority.

Cheongyang County announced its goal of achieving a 76.6% employment rate and creating 20,300 jobs.

Having recently rebounded to a population of 30,000, Cheongyang County has set more ambitious targets. The county plans to pursue five core strategies and 37 detailed action plans in earnest.

The county also unveiled five core strategies for job creation: fostering a virtuous cycle in the local economy through job creation, developing Cheongyang-specialized agricultural jobs, expanding jobs in care and welfare infrastructure, promoting jobs through the revitalization of local tourism, and creating customized, demand-centered jobs.

The standout core strategy is establishing a virtuous cycle in the local economy through basic income. The county aims to solidify the "Cheongyang-style economic model," where rural basic income stabilizes residents' livelihoods and boosts consumption, which in turn leads to increased sales for small businesses and expanded employment opportunities.

The county has also proposed support measures specifically for young people and returnees to rural areas. By linking projects to improve residential conditions, such as youth share houses and the "Live Together" program, with employment policies, the county will encourage population inflow. It also plans to establish a demand-centered employment support system through rural-customized job platforms and mobile one-stop job services.

The two local governments each plan to focus their efforts on achieving employment rate targets through distinct strategies: "defending against population extinction" for Boryeong City, and the "Cheongyang-style economic model" for Cheongyang County.

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