National and local governments explore ways to tackle population challenges

'Population issue is a core task for the future of regions and the nation'

From left: Kim Jin-o, vice chairman of the Presidential Committee on Population Strategy; Kim Gwi-ok, director of Busan's Population and Youth Policy Bureau; and Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo. [Busan City]
From left: Kim Jin-o, vice chairman of the Presidential Committee on Population Strategy; Kim Gwi-ok, director of Busan's Population and Youth Policy Bureau; and Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo. [Busan City]

Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo met Friday morning with Kim Jin-o, vice chairman of the Presidential Committee on Population Strategy, at the Busan Cinema Center to discuss solutions to regional population challenges and ways to strengthen cooperation between the national and local governments. The meeting was arranged following the committee's launch in September to coordinate a joint response to issues including low birth rates, aging, youth outflow and the concentration of population in the Greater Seoul area.

Jeon called for a structural national population strategy to overcome the dominance of the Greater Seoul area and urged the committee to take an active role in supporting that effort. Jeon also proposed strengthening balanced national development policies to reverse the trend of metropolitan concentration — including tax incentives for companies relocating to the regions, transfers of public institutions and the development of regional hub universities. Jeon said regional fiscal disparities should be eased through tailored financial support, such as applying preferential treatment for local governments that reflects each region's population decline and providing differentiated national funding.

Jeon particularly said the government should extend national funding for a support project for couples with infertility and for maternal and newborn health management, which is set to end this year, and called for securing stable welfare funding to provide life-cycle-tailored support.

"The population issue goes beyond simply increasing the number of births — it is a core task that determines the sustainability of regions and the future of the nation," Jeon said. "I hope the newly launched Presidential Committee on Population Strategy will lead the way in overcoming the dominance of the Greater Seoul area and become a platform for genuine cooperation where the national and local governments work together to find solutions for demographic vitality."

Meanwhile, Busan revised related ordinances in line with the enforcement of the Framework Act on Population Strategy in September and designated the administrative vice mayor as the official responsible for population policy, reorganizing its local implementation structure.


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