Buyeo-gun, South Korea — Buyeo County announced on November 2 that Mayor Lee Yong-woo visited the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Regional Development to meet with Chairperson Park Jeong-hyun. During the meeting, Mayor Lee requested active interest and cooperation on seven major policy initiatives aimed at overcoming the crisis of regional extinction and establishing a foundation for sustainable local growth.

This visit was arranged to share the structural challenges faced by population-decline regions in alignment with the government's balanced national growth strategy—specifically the "five mega-regions and three special autonomous regions" framework—and to discuss national-level support and institutional improvements tailored to local characteristics.

During the visit, Mayor Lee put forward seven core requests:

*Designation as a national policy demonstration zone to combat regional extinction.
*Selection for the 2027 rural basic income pilot project open competition.
*Adjustment of the regional preference index (local support index) for Buyeo County's region.
*Individual relocation and hosting of public institutions under the second phase of public institution decentralization.
*Establishment of the "Goodtrae" food-tech innovation cluster.
*Comprehensive national support for co-prosperity development tied to the construction of the Jicheon Dam.
*Preparation for the evaluation of the 2027 Regional Extinction Response Fund investment plan.

In particular, Mayor Lee requested cross-ministerial cooperation and demonstration budget support to designate Buyeo County as a national policy demonstration zone. This would allow the county to carry out pilot initiatives linking its local currency ("Goodtrae Pay"), cultural tourism, agriculture, and residential policies, while comparing and verifying policy effectiveness across population-decline regions nationwide to spread successful models as national standards.

Regarding the 2027 rural basic income pilot project, Mayor Lee emphasized the need to select pilot regions by comprehensively evaluating the severity of regional extinction risks, local economic ripple effects, and policy feasibility, rather than relying solely on simple population size.

Furthermore, he called for a review to adjust Buyeo County into the 4th tier of the local preference index, taking into account the county's population decline, aging demographics, and constrained financial conditions. He also sought support to expand opportunities for the individual relocation of public institutions to population-decline areas during the second wave of public sector decentralization.

Additional requests included building the Goodtrae Food-Tech Innovation Cluster using local agricultural products and existing industrial complexes, reflecting national support plans for residents' rights and co-prosperity projects following the construction of the Jicheon Dam, and ensuring that local conditions and project validity are fully accounted for during the evaluation of the Regional Extinction Response Fund investment plan.

"Regional extinction is a national challenge that cannot be resolved solely through the efforts of individual local governments," Mayor Lee stated. "We will strive to build a new growth model utilizing Buyeo's regional assets, such as cultural tourism and agriculture, and ensure these achievements spread to other depopulating areas."

He added, "We ask for the continued interest and cooperation of the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Regional Development so that the issues we proposed today can lead to inter-ministerial consultations and practical project implementation."

Following the visit, Buyeo County plans to continue consultations with relevant ministries and Chungcheongnam-do Province to flesh out implementation strategies for each project, actively responding to regional extinction in connection with national policies.

Department in Charge: Planning and Audit Division, Planning Team (Contact: 041-830-2023 / Officer: Lee Seung-yong)

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