Gyeongbuk Yeongyang will promote a pilot project for 'Karen refugees' settlement this year. The Karen people are an ethnic minority residing in southern Myanmar, demanding independence. Since the 1980s, some have lived in overseas refugee camps to escape oppression from the Myanmar government.
Yeongyang plans to settle 40 households of Karen refugees under the protection of the United Nations (UN) refugee agency after consultations with the Ministry of Justice. It is reviewing a plan to support monthly housing costs of several hundred thousand won for a certain period. There are also plans to enable employment for the Karen and enrollment of their children in elementary, middle, and high schools.
This is to respond to the crisis of regional extinction due to population decline. When the regional population decreases, consumption shrinks, leading to a tough local economy. Local government tax revenues also drop, resulting in deterioration of public services and infrastructure, such as education. Local governments cannot simply stand by in such situations.
◇Yeongyang promotes 'Karen refugee settlement'... 200 settled in Jecheon through 'Koryoin relocation'
Some local governments have already succeeded in increasing their populations. Chungbuk Jecheon is conducting a 'Koryoin overseas compatriots relocation project.' Koryoin refers to ethnic Koreans residing in Russia and Central Asia after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Jecheon turned its attention to Koryoin as its cement industry, which used to revitalize the local economy, declined, leading to a reduction in population. Currently, Jecheon is providing Koryoin with short-term accommodation facilities for four months and facilitating employment in local corporations. Care for children and education in Korean language and culture are also provided. As of the end of November last year, among more than 500 participants in the Koryoin relocation project, over 200 have fully settled in Jecheon.
Koryoin residing in Jecheon can obtain a regional specialized visa, allowing them to stay for one year and renew it every three years. The regional specialized visa also allows the spouses to find employment. The employment rate of overseas compatriots’ spouses who have relocated to Jecheon is 70%. Excluding cases where employment is challenging due to childcare, almost all are employed. A Jecheon city official noted, "For Koryoin relocating as family units, the ability for the spouse to work is a significant advantage."
◇Naju provides '0 won' rental housing... Hwacheon and Changwon support 'university tuition'
Some local governments have also begun offering rental housing at '0 won' as part of their efforts to increase residents. Jeonnam Naju will provide '0 won housing' this year to young individuals relocating from other regions, without requiring a security deposit or rental fee. Young people will only pay management fees monthly and can reside from a minimum of two years to a maximum of four years. The support targets homeless young individuals aged 18-45 with a median income of 150% or less, and Jeonju city will cover the costs of security deposits, etc. While Naju is not experiencing a significant population decline, it has implemented this policy to increase its young population.
Incheon, a metropolitan city, is experiencing a population decline in Ganghwa and Ongjin counties. Including Ganghwa and Ongjin, Incheon will provide 1,000 '1,000 won (30,000 won monthly) dwellings' annually starting this year, targeting newlyweds in the area. They will be able to solve their housing issues by paying only 4% of the average rental cost of private dwellings in the city (760,000 won per month). The target groups are newlyweds or engaged couples who have been married for seven years or less, and they can reside in the rental dwellings from a minimum of two years to a maximum of six years. If there are no children, they can enter housing of 65㎡ or less, with one child up to 75㎡, and with two or more children up to 85㎡.
The 1,000 won dwellings are categorized into 'purchase lease,' where the city rents dwellings owned by the city, and 'jeonse lease,' where newlyweds can apply for a house they wish to live in, and Incheon City will enter into a jeonse contract with the homeowner and sublease it. However, a security deposit must be paid separately from the rental fee. The purchase lease requires a maximum security deposit of 30 million won. The jeonse lease involves the city supporting a maximum security deposit of 240 million won.
Jeonnam has prepared '10,000 won' newly built dwellings for young people and newlyweds. Young people can live in dwellings of 60㎡ or less without a security deposit, paying only 10,000 won monthly for up to 10 years. Jeonnam plans to build 1,000 housing units by 2035 in population-declining regions such as Jindo, Goheung, Boseong, and Sinan. To this end, the city will invest over 280 billion won.
Meanwhile, some local governments are providing support for university tuition. Gangwon Hwacheon provides full tuition and an additional 500,000 won for dormitory fees to university students. Parents or guardians must have lived in Hwacheon for more than three years. Newly admitted university students can receive support without a grade requirement, while continuing students must have achieved at least 2.5 points on a 4.5-point scale in the previous semester.
Gyeongnam Changwon provides up to 1 million won to freshmen who graduated from local high schools and enrolled in local universities. Last year, it distributed a total of 2 billion 120 million won to 2,146 university students. Changwon's population of 1 million, which had been maintained for a long time, fell last year to 999,800. A local official noted, "For people to settle in the region, housing, jobs, and education must all be adequately prepared; otherwise, it may lead to a situation where populaions scatter among nearby areas."