▲ The headquarters of the Federation of Korean Industries in Seoul (Yonhap)

population decline-survey

Nearly 8 in 10 non-capital region governments brace for population decline: poll

By Kang Yoon-seung

SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- Nearly 8 out of 10 local governments outside of the capital region remain concerned over the likelihood of a decline in population in their areas due to comparatively weaker job opportunities and living conditions, a poll showed Monday.

According to a survey conducted by the Federation of Korean Industries on 100 local governments outside the greater Seoul metropolitan region, 77 percent of respondents said they were faced with a high risk of population decline.

The poll also excluded the central city of Sejong and the southern resort island of Jeju.

The outlook came amid an ongoing population crisis in Asia's No. 4 economy, with its total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, reaching just 0.81 in October, much lower than the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population without immigration.

By province, 85.7 percent of local governments in Gangwon Province said the risk was high, followed by Gyeongsang region provinces at 85.3 percent, Jeolla region provinces at 78.6 percent and Chungcheong region provinces at 58.3 percent.

A lack of job opportunities was cited as the leading factor in the risk of population decline, at 44.2 percent, followed by inadequate housing conditions at 21.4 percent and medical infrastructure at 17.5 percent.

To address the crisis, 37.5 percent of respondents stressed the need to attract businesses, while 19.5 percent emphasized supplying new housing and improving residential environments.

"The industrial and employment gap between metropolitan and non-metropolitan regions is widening, further escalating the risk of regional extinction," Lee Sang-ho, head of the federation's economic and industrial division, said in the report.

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