국토지리학회지 ISSN:1225-3766(Print) THE GEOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL OF KOREA

This study aimed to explore strategies for addressing local extinction by selecting various indicators that can be measured beyond population indicators. It examined discussions on population decline and local extinction, as well as previous studies on local revitalization, to measure the internal capacity of local governments. The significance lies in the analysis of the capabilities of 141 cities and counties with populations under 500,000, excluding 16 major cities, as of 2022. Previous studies focused only on population structure or industrial structure to formulate strategies to address population decline. However, this study considered diverse indicators from demographics, sociology, and economics to identify the causes and diagnose local extinction. The goal was to propose guidelines to respond to the crisis of local extinction and revitalize regions. The existing support projects for local governments by the ‘Local Extinction Fund’, which began in 2022, are mainly centered around basic quality of life projects, which are considered sufficient to address local extinction. However, these projects are difficult to perceive as tailored and region-centered responses to local extinction, conflicting with the analytical results of this study. Since the concentration of capacity varies among the 141 target areas (including the 89 areas designated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety for the ‘Local Extinction Fund’, there is a need for autonomous and efficient operational approaches of local governments that can accurately identify the local government's problems. Tailored support policies need to be developed based on regional characteristics, with differentiated allocation of resources, to enhance the efficiency of policies.