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

South Korea added Geumjeong Ward in Busan, Dongducheon and Tongyeong to its list of depopulation areas on Thursday, bringing the total to 92. The Interior Ministry created the list in 2021 to provide intensive support to municipalities facing population decline. The government will use a local extinction response fund of 1 trillion won annually, with support tailored to local conditions.

The updated list includes 16 areas in South Jeolla, 15 in North Gyeongsang, 12 each in South Gyeongsang and Gangwon, 10 in North Jeolla, nine in South Chungcheong and six in North Chungcheong.

The newly designated municipalities are Geumjeong Ward of Busan, Dongducheon and Tongyeong.

The local extinction response fund is designed to provide 1 trillion won annually, equivalent to $747 million.

The government attributes the depopulation crisis to chronically low childbirths and population concentration in the capital region.

Published Oct 7, 2026 11:52 am KST

Updated Oct 7, 2026 11:55 am KST

An abandoned store is seen in this file photo taken in Yeoncheon County, April 11, 2022. 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.

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 ($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.

韩国周四将釜山金井坊、东豆川和统营三个地区列入人口减少地区名单，使该名单上的地区总数达到92个。韩国内政部于2021年设立该名单，旨在为面临人口减少的地区提供重点支持。政府将每年动用1万亿韩元的“地方灭绝应对基金”，并根据各地实际情况提供相应的支持。

更新后的名单包括全罗南道 16 个地区、庆尚北道 15 个地区、庆尚南道和江原道各 12 个地区、全罗北道 10 个地区、忠清南道 9 个地区和忠清北道 6 个地区。

新指定的三个市町村分别是釜山金井坊、东豆川市和统营市。

当地灭绝应对基金旨在每年提供 1 万亿韩元，相当于 7.47 亿美元。

政府将人口减少危机归咎于长期低出生率和首都地区的人口集中。

发布于2026年10月7日上午11:52（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月7日上午11:55（韩国标准时间）

这张摄于2022年4月11日的资料照片显示，位于韩国涟川郡的一家废弃店铺。（韩联社）

韩国官员周四表示，韩国已将三个市町村列入“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。

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。