Now In Korea
Living Population Down 3% in Korea's Depopulating Areas in Q2 — Weather and Aftereffects Cited
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
The National Data Agency reported that the average living population (registered residents plus visitors who stay at least 3 hours per month) in 89 government-designated depopulating areas fell 3.0% year-on-year in Q2 2025 to about 27.94 million. Seasonal factors — a late cold snap in April (꽃샘추위), lingering consumption weakness after last year’s emergency measures, and early summer heat in June — reduced outdoor activity. Visitor (stay) population was 23.08 million, 4.7 times the registered population (4.86 million). Monthly trends: April dropped 8.9% due to weak spending and temperature swings; May rose 3.8% with holiday travel; June fell 4.5% from early monsoon and heat. Average visitor stay was 3.2 days, average overnight 3.7 days, and average daily time 11.6 hours; repeat-visit rate fell to 34.8%. Foreign visitor numbers rose (April 350k, May 460k, June 440k) and they stayed longer on average (4.4 days, 13.7 hours). Per-person card spending averaged 120,000 won, slightly up from last year; however, the share of spending by visitors versus registered residents narrowed partly because new card-company data raised registered-resident totals. Regionally, Gangwon and northern Gyeonggi (e.g., Gapyeong, Yangyang) showed especially high visitor-to-registered ratios, with Yangyang reaching over 16× in May and June. Officials said the living-population metric should help local governments design policies to attract and retain nonresident visitors and boost regional vitality.
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