Gyeongsangbuk-do, the province with the largest natural population decline among metropolitan and provincial governments, is making every effort to overcome low birth rates and regional decline. In an interview with Edaily, Hak-hong Kim, Vice Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do, emphasized that persistent and systematic policies are needed to fully overcome the low birth rate crisis. Vice Governor Kim is scheduled to present on regional policies for the era of low birth rates at the “Edaily-Policy Evaluation Research Institute (PERI) Special Symposium” at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on the 19th of this month.
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Vice Governor Kim said, “For the country to be sustained, 700,000 people need to be born every year, but only about 200,000 are born, meaning 500,000 disappear each year. The metropolitan area also faces problems, but the situation in the provinces is even more serious.”
Among the 89 regions designated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as population decline areas, Gyeongsangbuk-do has the second highest number among 15 cities and counties. Amid the structural reality of all resources being sucked into the metropolitan area, the province is struggling with both a collapse in birth rates and an exodus of young people.
He suggested, “A national-level response to low birth rates is absolutely necessary. We need a national future preparedness system like the U.S. Federal Reserve. Local governments must also be equipped with infrastructure and service systems comparable to the metropolitan area so that the entire country can grow together.” He also said, “Local governments must roll up their sleeves and act in conjunction with national policy. Gyeongsangbuk-do is further strengthening its policies by preparing ‘Low Birth Rate Transformation Season 2’ following ‘War on Low Birth Rates Season 1.’”
Last year, Gyeongsangbuk-do declared “war on low birth rates” and established and implemented 100 action strategies across six areas: meeting, childbirth, care, housing, work-life balance, and gender equality. This year, the number of action tasks has been increased to 150, and the budget has nearly doubled to 360 billion KRW. Customized policies reflecting the voices of the field, such as marriage expenses for newlywed couples in their 20s, male infertility treatment costs, and interest support for large homes for multi-child families, are also being promoted.
In addition to the ‘K-Children Project,’ a specialized low birth rate policy, the province has established a full-cycle customized support system for young people to put down roots in the region through entrepreneurship and agriculture. Currently, 128 youth policies are being implemented with a budget of 329.8 billion KRW. The province also became the first in the nation to announce a basic plan for immigration policy. Vice Governor Kim said, “Since the government declared a population emergency, led by Gyeongsangbuk-do, the national total fertility rate has risen from 0.72 to 0.75, and Gyeongsangbuk-do’s has increased from 0.86 to 0.90. Positive signals are appearing throughout the field, including increases in the number of births and marriages.”
Nevertheless, the situation remains challenging. Last year, Gyeongsangbuk-do’s total fertility rate was higher than the national average, but warning lights are still on. Despite strong youth policies, the youth population is still decreasing by nearly 20,000 each year, of which more than 6,000 leave for the metropolitan area. He emphasized, “Low birth rates and population decline are no longer just a problem for one region but a pressing issue facing the entire world. We must move beyond the fear of regional decline and open a new era of local prosperity.”
He also stated, “Like advanced countries such as the U.S., Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, we must realize ‘livable cities’ in the provinces that offer jobs, transportation, education, healthcare, culture, and housing environments comparable to Seoul. Only then will young people not leave, and everyone will be able to dream and plan their futures in the places they were born.”
“The Nation shall live, as the Regions Live”
Vice Governor Kim also expressed the need to move away from a centralized national operation and give local governments practical authority and autonomy, making them the center of national administration. First, he said, “For true local autonomy, a constitutional amendment including clauses to expand the authority and finances of local governments must be made. If we can autonomously implement strategies tailored to regional characteristics, we can efficiently carry out education, culture, and industrial policies that were previously implemented uniformly by the central government.”
He also proposed, “From the perspective of balanced national development, it is necessary to reorganize administrative and industrial infrastructure by relocating public institutions to the provinces. It is important not only to move secondary public institutions to the regions but also to maximize synergy with primary relocated public institutions and organically link them to regional industry, education, and employment.”
Regarding Korea’s low local fiscal independence, he also stated that the transfer of financial authority and responsibility from the central government is essential. He added, “The higher the proportion of local revenue, the better the regional economic performance and the more sustainable the conditions for regional development. The current local tax sharing ratio of 19.24% of domestic tax revenue should be gradually expanded to 30%, and the current 8:2 ratio of national to local taxes should be improved to 7:3 or 6:4 in the medium to long term.”
He emphasized, “The Nation shall live, as the Regions Live. Local governments, who know the field best, must have greater authority. If the regions develop, overcrowding in the metropolitan area will also be resolved, and the Republic of Korea as a whole will become stronger.”
About Hak-hong Kim, Vice Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do
△ 35th National Administrative Examination, △ Head of Gyeongsangbuk-do Job and Economy Headquarters, △ Director of Creative Economy Industry Office, △ Vice Mayor of Gyeongsan City, △ Section Chief of Civil Cooperation, Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, △ Regional Innovation Policy Officer, △ Civil Defense Deliberation Officer, △ Head of the Local Autonomy Planning Team, Presidential Committee on Local Autonomy and Decentralization, △ Vice Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do
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