Geumjeong-gu, Dongducheon, and Tongyeong Designated as Population Decline Areas: "Strengthening Response to Local Extinction"

Improved Criteria for Designation:
Regional Economic Indicators Added

From Execution to Outcome Management:
Discovering More Effective Special Provisions

"Population Vitality Plus Areas" Category Established,
Existing Support Maintained for Five Years

Three additional regions—Geumjeong-gu in Busan, Dongducheon-si in Gyeonggi Province, and Tongyeong-si in South Gyeongsang Province—have been newly added to the list of areas at risk of depopulation and potential local extinction due to population decline. The government announced plans to utilize the annual Local Extinction Response Fund, totaling 1 trillion won, to promote measures such as improving residential conditions and expanding customized special provisions.

Yun Hojung, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. 2026.9.22 Photo by Jo Yongjun

Yun Hochung, Minister of the Interior and Safety, held a briefing at the Seoul Government Complex on October 7, announcing the redesignation of 92 "population decline areas" and 18 "population decline interest areas" among cities, counties, and districts deemed at risk of local extinction due to population decline. This year, three new areas—Geumjeong-gu in Busan, Dongducheon-si in Gyeonggi Province, and Tongyeong-si in South Gyeongsang Province—were added to the 89 population decline areas first designated in 2021.

Before this redesignation, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety updated the criteria for designating population decline areas. In addition to the previous indicators of population size, structure, and migration, new indicators reflecting regional economic vitality—including the number of employed people, urbanization rate, and daily resident population—were included.

The ministry stated that it would systematically manage everything from project execution to outcomes in order to generate tangible results through population decline response policies. The structure will be strengthened so that regions achieving better results will receive greater support, based on their individual performance.

Tasks that are difficult for individual cities, counties, or districts to address alone will be tackled through collaboration at the living area-level, involving neighboring regions, metropolitan governments, and the national government. In addition, the ministry plans to continuously discover and improve effective special provisions to enhance the perceived impact for local residents and businesses.

Among the current population decline areas, those that have improved in terms of demographic conditions and local vitality will be classified as "Population Vitality Plus Areas." The government will not halt support immediately in cases of indicator improvements alone; instead, it will maintain existing support for the next five years so that local governments can achieve stable transitions.

Minister Yun emphasized, "We will proactively respond to the crisis of local extinction caused by population decline, so that all citizens can enjoy equal opportunities regardless of where they live."

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