"A Border Region of 30,000 People Held to the Same Standard as Cities"... Inje Residents Rally Outside National Assembly

Call for review of Zone 2 classification under the Local Preferential Treatment Index and designation as a depopulation area
County Mayor Choi Sanggi and others shave their heads in protest... Another rally and delivery of a letter of protest planned for the 28th

Residents of Inje County, Gangwon Province, have rallied outside the National Assembly to protest the government's classification of the county in Zone 2 of the Local Preferential Treatment Index and the results of its designation of depopulation areas. They say the government’s assessment should reflect the realities of border regions, which face population decline and various development restrictions.

A rally calling for a review of the Region 2 classification under the Local Preference Index is underway at Inje Grass Field in Gangwon Province on the morning of the 27th, with some 3,000 residents in attendance. Provided by Inje County.

The emergency committee opposing the Zone 2 designation under the Local Preferential Treatment Index held a protest rally in front of the National Assembly’s main gate in Seoul on the 27th, with around 600 residents and members of civic groups in attendance. Assemblyman Lee Yang-soo, Inje County Mayor Choi Sang-gi, Inje County Council Chair Kim Do-hyung, and Kim Geun-seong, chair of the Inje County Heads of Village Association, also attended.

Around 3,000 residents gathered for a rally that morning at Inje Grass Field. Around 600 of them traveled to Seoul to call for a review of the government’s regional classification. Mayor Choi, committee chair and council chair Kim, and association chair Kim protested by having their heads shaved.

The rally followed the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s decision on the 7th to exclude Inje County from the list of depopulation areas and classify it as a “Population Vitality+ Region,” and its announcement on the 20th that Inje would be grouped in Zone 2 of the Local Preferential Treatment Index, alongside Chuncheon, Wonju, Gangneung, and Sokcho.

Inje County is the only county-level jurisdiction in Gangwon Province included in Zone 2. The county says it is unreasonable to apply the same standards to it as to urban areas with different population sizes and levels of development.

According to Inje County, its registered population fell by 1,529, from 32,165 at the end of 2021 to 30,636 in September this year. The county also ranks 151st among 167 cities and counties nationwide for regional underdevelopment. It argues that the restrictions on development caused by military facility protection zones and environmental regulations should also be reflected in the assessment.

The straight-line distance from Seoul used to calculate the Local Preferential Treatment Index is also a point of contention. Residents say straight-line distance alone cannot adequately assess actual travel times, transportation conditions, or access to medical and educational services in border and mountainous areas.

Residents are concerned that the classification will lead to disparities in government support in the future. They say that once the Local Preferential Treatment Index is fully implemented next year, support will vary by zone in areas such as subsidies for issuing local gift certificates.

A rally calling for a review of the classification of the Local Preferential Treatment Index as Category 2 was held at Inje Grass Field in Gangwon on the morning of the 27th, with around 3,000 residents in attendance. Provided by Inje County.

“The realities facing Inje County, which has endured various restrictions for many years in the interests of national security and environmental conservation, were not properly reflected in the government’s regional assessment,” said Kim Do-hyung, chair of the emergency committee. He called for a review of the calculation method, the disclosure of the grounds for evaluating each indicator, and a reasonable adjustment of the zones.

The committee plans to hold another rally at 1 p.m. on the 28th in front of the steps of the National Assembly building, with around 200 residents and others expected to take part. Following a head-shaving event by leaders of local civic groups, the committee plans to deliver a letter of protest to the chair of the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Budget and Accounts.

“Preferential treatment that fails to properly consider the difficulties facing the region is not preferential treatment but another form of discrimination,” said Kim Geun-seong, chair of the Inje County Heads of Village Association. “We need the Zone 2 designation withdrawn, the calculation standards improved, and practical support measures put in place.”

The committee plans to gather joint signatures from residents and statements from civic groups and submit them to the government. It will continue coordinated efforts to seek a review of the Local Preferential Treatment Index classification and the additional designation of depopulation areas.

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