3 municipalities added to list of 'depopulation' areas, total at 92

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SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has added three more municipalities to its list of "depopulation" areas, raising the number of cities, counties and wards facing risk of regional extinction to 92, officials said Thursday.

The interior ministry newly designated Geumjeong Ward of the southeastern city of Busan, Dongducheon, just north of Seoul, and the southeastern city of Tongyeong in addition to the country's existing 89 depopulation areas.

The ministry first announced the list of depopulation areas in 2021 as part of efforts to provide intensive support and help the areas combat shrinking populations.

South Korea has been struggling with chronically low childbirths and an overcrowded capital region, which have left many areas struggling to overcome declining populations.

This file photo, taken April 11, 2022, shows an abandoned store in Yeoncheon County, about 60 kilometers north of Seoul. (Yonhap)

The updated list includes 16 areas from the southwestern province of South Jeolla, 15 from the southeastern province of North Gyeongsang, and 12 each from southeastern South Gyeongsang Province and northeastern Gangwon Province.

It also includes 10 from southwestern North Jeolla Province, nine from central South Chungcheong Province and six from North Chungcheong Province.

In a bid to respond to the depopulation crisis, the government has created the local extinction response fund designed to provide 1 trillion won (US$747 million) annually for such efforts.

"(We) will concentrate government-wide support to areas facing a declining population tailored to local conditions," Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung said in a briefing.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (END)

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3 municipalities added to list of 'depopulation' areas, total at 92

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首尔，10 月 7 日（韩联社）——韩国官员周四表示，韩国又将三个市町村列入“人口减少”地区名单，面临区域灭绝风险的城市、郡和区的数量增加到 92 个。

内政部将釜山市金井坊、首尔以北的东豆川市以及统营市这三个城市新指定为人口减少区，使该国现有的人口减少区数量增加了 89 个。

该部于 2021 年首次公布了人口减少地区名单，作为向这些地区提供密集支持和帮助其应对人口减少的努力的一部分。

韩国一直饱受低生育率和首都地区人口过密的困扰，导致许多地区难以克服人口下降的问题。

这张摄于2022年4月11日的资料照片显示，位于首尔以北约60公里的涟川郡的一家废弃商店。（韩联社）

更新后的名单包括西南全罗南道的 16 个地区、东南庆尚北道的 15 个地区，以及东南庆尚南道和东北江原道各 12 个地区。

其中，西南全罗道有 10 例，中部忠清南道有 9 例，北忠清道有 6 例。

为了应对人口减少危机，政府设立了地方灭绝应对基金，旨在每年提供 1 万亿韩元（7.47 亿美元）用于此类工作。

“（我们）将集中政府各部门的力量，支持人口减少的地区，并根据当地情况量身定制支持措施，”内政部长尹浩中在新闻发布会上表示。

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (完)

数据显示，到2026年，韩国65岁及以上人口中将有五分之一。

政府拨款88.5万亿奈拉用于应对2025年低出生率和人口老龄化问题

韩国央行行长：如果低出生率持续下去，韩国经济可能从2050年起出现负增长。

新增3个市镇被列入“人口减少”地区名单，总数达92个。