Geumjeong District in Busan, Dongducheon in Gyeonggi Province and Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province have been newly listed as population decline areas. According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced the result on Oct. 7, and the number of such areas rose from 89 at the first designation in 2021 to 92. All three had previously been classed as population decline concern areas.

How areas are chosen

Designation rests on a population vitality index that combines nine indicators, including the average annual rate of population change, the shares of older and younger residents, the crude birth rate, the number of workers and the living population. Local governments within Seoul are excluded under the Balanced National Development Act.

By region, Jeonnam and Gwangju together have 16, North Gyeongsang 15, South Gyeongsang 12, Gangwon 12, North Jeolla 10, South Chungcheong 9, North Chungcheong 6, Busan 4, Gyeonggi 3, Daegu 3 and Incheon 2. The capital region now has five, including Dongducheon, a sign that the problem is not confined to rural counties.

What changes

The most direct support is the Regional Extinction Response Fund, worth about 1 trillion won a year and allocated to projects judged effective. The three new areas each receive 6 billion won this year, while the newly added concern areas, Busan's Buk District, Yecheon and Chilgok, get 1.5 billion won each. Eighteen concern areas were redesignated.

Tax and regulatory measures also apply. The number of special provisions for decline and concern areas has grown to 44, including tax benefits for second homes in the regions, reduced acquisition tax for young first-time buyers and easier employment and residency conditions for foreigners. The easing for foreign residents could affect local labor supply and multicultural families.

Regional context and challenges

The national population peaked at 51.84 million in 2020 and fell to 51.68 million in 2025. Beyond the overall decline, some areas are seeing faster youth outflow and aging. The newly designated places range from port and tourist cities to older urban districts, so some may argue that one set of support measures does not fit all.

Some see designation as a starting point for support rather than a stigma, while others say the fund must be evaluated on whether it produces real jobs and living conditions. Project designs that raise both the living and resident populations, and follow-up checks on results, are likely to decide how effective the support is.