South Korean county invites Myanmar refugees to revive dwindling population

Yeongyang county hopes to revitalise its community by welcoming refugees, offering new opportunities and utilising empty properties

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Yeongyang county in South Korea is exploring a unique solution to overcome its dwindling population. Photo: Handout

Published: 5:16pm, 13 Mar 2025Updated: 7:21pm, 13 Mar 2025

Under threat of extinction, a South Korean county has come up with a novel idea to bring in more residents: invite Myanmar refugees to settle in the area.

Yeongyang county in North Gyeongsang province is seeking to attract an initial 10 families, or about 40 Myanmar refugees under United Nations protection, to the community as early as the second half of this year, officials have told The Korea Herald.

“If there is any way to prevent population decline, we are considering all possibilities, including attracting refugees,” an official told the local daily on Wednesday. “We are doing our best to ensure the region does not disappear.”

Yeongyang, about 230km (140 miles) from Seoul, has the lowest population among districts in South Korea, excluding islands.

To address this issue, county officials are working with the justice ministry on a plan to accept members of the Karen ethnic minority, who have been displaced during decades of conflict between independence fighters and the Myanmar military.

Myanmar refugees and their children, who fled a surge in violence as the military cracks down on rebel groups, are seen at a camp near the Myanmar-Thailand border in Kayin state. Photo: AFP

Myanmar nationals made up the largest group of officially recognised refugees in South Korea, with 474 granted refugee status last year, the justice ministry said, according to Radio Free Asia.