A view of the Uiryeong County Office.
UIRYEONG — Uiryeong County in South Gyeongsang Province is inviting policy ideas from all of its employees as it targets an annual living population — a measure that counts people who spend time in an area, not just registered residents — of 2.5 million.
The county said it will run a program called “2026 Living Population Idea Talk” through October 8, open to all staff. The aim is to turn employees’ field experience into new measures for expanding the living population and revitalizing the local economy.
Uiryeong’s living population totaled 1.66 million last year. The 2.5 million target is 100 times the county’s registered resident population. The county plans to reach the goal by broadening the scope of its living population beyond simple tourist visits to include education, extended stays, spending and lasting ties with the area.
Proposals are being sought in six areas: boosting tourism and extended stays, linking local resources with specialty industries, expanding the living population of young people and families, building relational populations and regional exchange, stimulating the local economy and consumption, and improving convenience for the living population.
The best submissions will be reviewed by relevant departments, with a view to incorporating them into new policy measures in 2027. The county also plans to link the program to its active administration mileage system.
“Expanding the living population requires approaches in a range of fields, including education, youth policy and the local economy, not just tourism,” a county official said. “We will make active use of ideas drawn from our employees’ experience on the ground so that they can lead to actual policies.”