{"id":2208855,"date":"2025-03-25T16:32:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T07:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2208855"},"modified":"2025-03-26T15:22:06","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T06:22:06","slug":"south-koreas-shrinking-towns-explore-refugees-as-a-fix-for-demographic-collapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2025\/03\/south-koreas-shrinking-towns-explore-refugees-as-a-fix-for-demographic-collapse\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea\u2019s shrinking towns explore refugees as a fix for demographic collapse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Facing a demographic collapse, Yeongyang County\u2019s reported refugee resettlement plan \u2014 though not formally confirmed \u2014 reflects growing pressure on rural governments to find unconventional solutions to population decline.<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent weeks, South Korean media reports <\/span>suggested<\/span><\/a> that this small county in North Gyeongsang Province was planning to resettle around 40 Myanmar refugees as part of a pilot project. The idea immediately drew sharp public criticism, and after a series of conflicting statements from officials, the truth proved to be more complicated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Contrary to reports of formal talks with the Ministry of Justice and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a county official told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i> that the refugee plan remains an internal idea still under review.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of several population policy options we\u2019re considering,\u201d the official said. \u201cBut there is no finalized plan, and nothing is currently being implemented.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Justice Ministry, which oversees refugee resettlement, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i> that while it \u201cintroduced the general idea\u201d to Yeongyang in 2023, it has held no formal discussions on selecting it as a resettlement site. The UNHCR also confirmed it has had no communication with Yeongyang County.<\/span><\/p>\n

The appearance of a specific number \u2014 40 refugees \u2014 and their country of origin \u2014 Myanmar \u2014 may instead reflect a strategic effort to secure funding under the government\u2019s revised Local Extinction Response Fund, which now ties funding to measurable population growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Pesticide shop owner Kim Guk-tae in Yeongyang County, March 22, 2025 | Image: Korea Pro<\/p><\/div>\n

A TOWN IN DECLINE<\/b><\/p>\n

Yeongyang\u2019s population, once over 70,000 in the early 1970s, has plummeted to just over 15,000 as of February. Excluding the island county of Ulleung, Yeongyang County has the smallest population in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in a state of despair,\u201d Kim Young-soon and Kim Guk-tae, a couple in their 70s who ran a pesticide store in Yeongyang for over 30 years, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>. \u201cAt this point, I don\u2019t know how you save this place \u2014 not unless someone revives the whole economy, not unless they bring back hope.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Demographic collapse is not unique to Yeongyang. South Korea\u2019s <\/span>rural population fell<\/span><\/a> from 72% in 1960 to under 19% today. Low birth rates, aging populations and urban migration have hollowed out the countryside.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Yeongyang, the local economy has deteriorated alongside the population decline, with young people leaving for cities and remaining businesses struggling to survive.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere used to be hundreds of students in each school. Now some have only three or four kids,\u201d Park Myung-soo, a taxi driver in his seventies who travels between Yeongyang and neighboring Andong, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>. \u201cYou can\u2019t fix this just by bringing people in. You have to change what they\u2019re coming into.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Kim Guk-tae echoed this sentiment. \u201cYou can feel the emptiness. People aren\u2019t having children, and even when they do, people don\u2019t want to raise them here because there\u2019s no support. No future. And it\u2019s not just policy \u2014 it\u2019s the feeling [of despair].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

The main street near Yeongyang County Office on a quiet Saturday afternoon, March 22, 2025 | Image: Korea Pro<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

THE POLICY CONTEXT<\/b><\/p>\n

Local governments are under growing pressure to reverse population decline. In March, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced <\/span>reforms<\/span><\/a> to the Local Extinction Response Fund, a 1 trillion won annual initiative launched in 2022, tying allocations to measurable outcomes like population growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Municipalities now receive base funding, but strong performance can earn extra incentives. Conversely, underperformance or misaligned proposals may lead to reduced funding.<\/span><\/p>\n

This shift toward results may explain why Yeongyang\u2019s leadership floated the refugee resettlement plan before securing official backing. Refugee resettlement represents a politically sensitive yet potentially high-reward option to meet the new funding criteria.<\/span><\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s refugee policy remains among the <\/span>most restrictive<\/span><\/a> in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2024, 18,336 people <\/span>applied<\/span><\/a> for refugee status in South Korea \u2014 a slight drop from the 2023 peak of 18,838. That year, Seoul granted refugee status to only 106 individuals, while granting humanitarian stay permits to another 101 people. Myanmar nationals were the <\/span>largest<\/span><\/a> recognized group in 2022, with 77 individuals approved out of 175 applicants.<\/span><\/p>\n

The structural barriers to integration remain steep. Living subsidies for asylum seekers reach <\/span>fewer than 2%<\/span><\/a> of applicants and typically last only three to four months. Housing is limited, with the Foreigners Support Center in Incheon accommodating just 82 people.<\/span><\/p>\n

Employment poses further challenges, as asylum seekers must apply for permission to work after six months, during which they are banned from working, often tied to short visa renewals and costly fees.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Myanmar refugees arrive at Incheon International Airport as part of South Korea\u2019s first refugee resettlement pilot program, Dec. 23, 2015 | Image: UNHCR\/H.Cheon<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

THE CHALLENGES OF INTEGRATION<\/b><\/p>\n

South Korea was the <\/span>second Asian country<\/span><\/a> after Japan to implement a refugee resettlement program. In 2015, it welcomed 22 Myanmar refugees \u2014 ethnic Karen families who had spent decades in Thai refugee camps.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn Korea, I can send my children to good schools and hope for a better life for them,\u201d said Ku Htoo, a 44-year-old refugee. \u201cI am thankful and very happy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ku fled Myanmar in 1988 and later lost his right foot in a tree-cutting accident in Thailand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLife was difficult in Myanmar because of wars, and then in Thailand because we were so poor. Now, we can live like normal people in Korea,\u201d Thein Zaw, another resettled refugee, said.<\/span><\/p>\n

But these early successes contrast with the <\/span>backlash<\/span><\/a> that followed the arrival of nearly 500 Yemeni asylum seekers in Jeju Province in 2018, which led to tightened immigration policies and growing political resistance to refugee resettlement.<\/span><\/p>\n

When asked about bringing in foreign workers or even refugees to support labor and population growth, Kim Guk-tae said: \u201cWe don\u2019t have enough hands, it\u2019s true. So we bring in foreign workers on short-term stays \u2014 six months, maybe a year \u2014 to help with farming. But that\u2019s a band-aid. They come, they work and then they leave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t bring life back into the town. And it doesn\u2019t solve the core issue, which is that no one \u2014 Korean or not \u2014 wants to stay in a place where the future looks uncertain. You can\u2019t fix this by just bringing people in. You have to change what they\u2019re coming into.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Taxi driver Park echoed this point. \u201cThey need support. A system. A reason to stay. You can\u2019t just drop them into a dying place and hope they fix it. Survival isn\u2019t the same as living.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

A market in Yeongyang County on a quiet Saturday afternoon, March 22, 2025 | Image: Korea Pro<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

GLOBAL LESSONS<\/b><\/p>\n

Germany offers a contrast to South Korea\u2019s restrictive refugee approach. Between 2015 and 2023, Berlin <\/span>admitted<\/span><\/a> over a million refugees, addressing labor shortages and demographic decline. But the large-scale resettlement also sparked political backlash, fueling <\/span>far-right gains<\/span><\/a> and reshaping national debates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Japan, like South Korea, has <\/span>one of the most restrictive refugee policies<\/span><\/a> among OECD countries, historically accepting only a few dozen asylum seekers each year. While it made rare exceptions for Ukrainians and Afghans in recent years, its overall approach remains conservative.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether or not Yeongyang ultimately becomes a resettlement site, the conversation it sparked matters. Local governments hoping to reverse population decline must weigh not only the numbers but also the deeper needs of both those arriving and those already here.<\/span><\/p>\n

The potential of refugee resettlement as a rural revitalization strategy remains limited without targeted economic incentives and sustained integration support. Resettlement alone will not revive South Korea\u2019s rural towns unless local governments invest in infrastructure, social services and long-term development.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time the administration changes, the policies change,\u201d Park told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>. \u201cNothing lasts. Nothing gets finished. You get hopeful for a minute, then it\u2019s all back to square one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by John Lee<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Business & Economy<\/span><\/a>Culture & Society<\/span><\/a>Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Facing a demographic collapse, Yeongyang County\u2019s reported refugee resettlement plan \u2014 though not formally confirmed \u2014 reflects growing pressure on rural governments to find unconventional solutions to population decline. 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