Recently, the decline of local population has begun to be recognized as a serious social problem. However, although the crisis of the local population has been studied from various perspectives, the view of the population has been relatively overlooked.

The main purpose of this study is to address the problem of local population decline in terms of population migration. The main findings of this study are as follows:

First, migration is a key proxy factor of local population decline, and the local population crisis is not mainly caused by the outflow to the Seoul metropolitan area, but by the outflow to the core areas of the region. This means that the local population crisis is not a matter of population decline in individual areas but a problem of regional population disparity. Second, even in one area, the level and direction of migration vary by age group, which exacerbates the population disparity between regions of the age structure as well as the population size. Third, net outflow of young people and net inflow of older people are concurrent in areas facing the serious population reduction crisis. This is partly a positive aspect of alleviating population decline, but it also exacerbates the aging of the population structure at a local level.

Based on these findings, the study suggests a relational perspective on the local population crisis. This view emphasizes the policy approach from the perspective of solidarity, not of a regional development, in response to the crisis of the local population. 

Abstract ················································································································1

Ch. 1. Introduction ···························································································7

A. Research Background, Problem Awareness, and Purpose ··································································9

B. Concepts and Research Scope ········································································11

C. Research Method ······························································································13

Ch. 2. Previous Studies Analysis ·······································································15

A. Previous Studies on Local Population Decline ······························································17

B. Problem Consciousness and Differentiation from Previous Studies ·························································23

C. The Process of Local Population Decline as a Problem ·······················································28

Ch. 3. Policy Responses to Local Population Decline ············································31

A. National Balanced Development Policy ···················································································33

B. Government Bodies' Responses to Population Decline ···································································49

Ch. 4. Local Population Decline and Its Causes ·······································59

A. The State of Local Population Decline and Aging ·······························································61

B. The Causes of Population Decline: Comparison between Natural and Social Increases ·································67

Ch. 5. Domestic Population Movement Characteristics and Directional Analysis ········································75

A. Domestic Population Movement Trend and Localization ·······················································77

B. General Direction of Domestic Population Movement ····························································90

C. Population Outflow Direction of Regions with Population Decline ···························································94

D. The Ripple Effect of Population Movement ···········································································109

Ch. 6. Local  Population Change Forecast ······························································115

A. Local Population Development and Population Crisis ·······················································117

B. Analysis of Future Population Estimation Results for Cities, Counties, and Communities ·················································123

C. Development of a Local Population Change Related Index ························································130

Ch. 7. Conclusion and Suggestions on Policy Directions ·······················································139

A. Major Results and Implications ·······································································141

B. Major Policy Suggestions ····················································································144

References ···························································································149

Appendices ··································································································161