지방정부 저출생 대응 쟁점과 정책과제

Issues and Policy Tasks for Local Governments to Respond to Low Fertility

(Purpose) According to Statistics Korea's National Statistics Portal (KOSIS), which is advantageous for childbirth and childrearing, the annual total fertility rate in 2023 was 0.72, and in 70 places (26.8%) it was lower than 0.7. Looking at the total fertility rate of major OECD countries, Korea is 0.84. It is the lowest in terms of people. Recognizing this problem, the purpose of this study was to examine the issues of low birth rate, focusing on Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, and based on this, to derive measures to effectively overcome low birth rate at the local government level. (Design/methodology/approach) Through BIGKinds analysis, this study analyzed trends in Jeonbuk region media articles on low birth rates, local birth encouragement policies, and trends in empirical data related to low birth rates in 14 cities and counties, such as resident registration population trends. (Findings) The following three research results were derived through analysis. First, looking at the results of the low birth keyword search, media reports related to low birth rate have been increasing rapidly since 2016, and major keywords such as aging, Korea, population decline, Jeollabuk-do, birth rate, and Buan-gun were derived. Second, it was found that there was insufficient implementation of low birth rate policies that fit the policy target group, such as consideration of the awareness and characteristics of the MZ generation, which is an important policy target in low birth rates. Third, strong cash-based childbirth support policies were found to be effective in increasing the birth rate. (Research implications or Originality) This study derived the following implications. First, a change in the paradigm regarding the low birth rate policy, second, the promotion of a strong policy to encourage childbirth, third, the promotion of efforts to respond to low birth rates led by local governments, and fourth, the securing of the resident population in the concept of living population.