CRI

 [ABSTRACT]

Rural areas in South Korea have historically served as spaces for agricultural production, residential life, and recreational retreat. However, with the nation’s rapid industrialization, agriculture has lost its status as a core industry, and rural communities—no longer economically central—have increasingly faced demographic and structural decline. 

Moreover, rural regions have long functioned as sources of population redistribution to mitigate urban overconcentration, further accelerating rural depopulation and positioning these areas as the most vulnerable to regional extinction.

Despite this critical situation, accurate assessments of the current state of rural villages remain limited, particularly outside a few major provinces. Consequently, realistic and strategic policy responses are lacking. This study seeks to diagnose the conditions of rural decline in Chungcheongbuk-do (Chungbuk) and to propose developmental alternatives.

The findings reveal that rural villages in Chungbuk with stronger agrarian characteristics exhibit more severe population decline. Regions where agriculture remains the dominant industry and where access to everyday services is limited are experiencing greater demographic deterioration. More critically, these villages no longer appear sustainable: the proportions of preschool-aged, school-aged, and young adult populations—demographic indicators essential for future sustainability—are alarmingly low. Furthermore, rural villages are undergoing both depopulation and aging, with the latter being particularly severe. Although the criteria for categorizing elderly communities may require revision, the significantly greater number of aging villages compared to depopulated ones underscores the seriousness of aging in these areas.

Based on this analysis and in consideration of current national rural policy frameworks, this study establishes key directions for Chungbuk’s rural population policy. The proposed approach involves three core strategies: (1) building a comprehensive data system to monitor village-level emographic change and developing local actors capable of responding to rural restructuring; (2) setting multidimensional and context-sensitive 

policy directions to address rural extinction; and (3) deriving actionable and pragmatic projects aligned with these strategic directions. From these foundations, four major strategies and twelve detailed policy tasks are proposed.

First, for data infrastructure and monitoring, it is essential to regularly track population trends and compile relevant big data at the village level. This should be supplemented by periodic surveys of residents’ perceptions and aspirations for their communities. Second, in terms of cultivating local actors, each local government should establish task forces (TFs) specifically focused on responding to rural decline. Given that depopulation riginates in villages, swift and adaptive decision-making is required. Therefore, it is necessary to nurture proactive agents capable of leading rural regeneration, supported by adequate fiscal and administrative assistance. While village-led responses are ideal, the current unsustainable conditions necessitate the emergence of new actors.Third, strategic directions for extinction-related policies must be established. It is crucial to assess whether rural extinction is preventable; if not, efforts should focus on how to regenerate and repurpose extinct villages. Lastly, projects derived from these 

strategies must break away from conventional frameworks (e.g., existing rural development projects) and instead foster community-led initiatives that ensure local autonomy and adaptability. This research constitutes the first systematic investigation of the demographic status of rural villages in Chungbuk. While limitations exist—such as the inability to secure complete data and perform in-depth multivariate analyses—these are structural 

challenges, particularly given the absence of standardized boundary datasets for administrative villages (haengjeong-ri). Although grid-based spatial analysis is feasible in urban studies, the relatively sparse and administratively distinct rural settings in Korea make haengjeong-ri units more appropriate for analysis.

Accordingly, this study emphasizes the urgent need to develop boundary maps at the haengjeong-ri level as a foundational step toward the spatial reuse and restructuring of both surviving and extinct rural villages. Such groundwork will support future research aimed at countering rural extinction and enhancing the utility and sustainability of national territorial space.