▲ Chungnam Provincial Government Complex

The population of Naepo New City has surpassed 40,000, driven by an upward trend since the launch of the 8th popularly elected administration, thanks to various factors such as attracting institutions, improving residential conditions, and boosting apartment occupancy.

According to the province on the 28th, the population of Naepo New City was recorded at 40,016 as of the 24th.

This represents an increase of 10,801 from 29,215 at the end of June 2022, right before the 8th popularly elected administration took office.

The population of Naepo New City surged from 509 at the end of 2012, the first year of the provincial government's relocation, to 19,500 at the end of 2015 and 21,620 at the end of 2016.

Afterward, from 2017, it maintained a gradual upward trend, staying in the 20,000 range, and surpassed 30,000 in October 2022 with 30,338 residents.

This year, starting with 35,527 residents, the population increased by 4,489 as of the 24th, recording a monthly average increase of 449 people.

By administrative district, the population is 29,813 in Hongbuk-eup (Singyeong-ri) and 10,203 in Sapgyo-eup (Mong-ri). By gender, there are 19,969 males (49.9%) and 20,047 females (50.1%).

The age group distribution is as follows: △ age 40s: 19.6% (7,838 people) △ age 30s: 18.8% (7,543 people) △ age 50s: 13.6% (5,432 people) △ under 10 years old: 13.1% (5,228 people) △ age 10s: 12.9% (5,182 people) △ age 20s: 10.5% (4,185 people) △ age 60s: 7.6% (3,063 people) △ age 70s: 2.7% (1,071 people) △ age 80s: 1.0% (406 people) △ age 90s and above: 0.2% (68 people).

Those aged 40 and under account for 29,976 people (75.0%), indicating that young people in their 30s and 40s are residing with their children aged 10 and under, maintaining Naepo New City as a 'young city.'

The steep rise in Naepo New City's population is attributed to a combination of factors: △ consecutive openings of institutions attracted by the province △ concentration of public institutions under the provincial government △ and occupancy of apartment complexes.

Over the past two years, five government and public institutions and related organizations have opened in Naepo New City, including the Chungnam Convergence Education Center for Career Paths, the National West Coast Climate and Atmospheric Center, the Chungnam Regional Headquarters of the Korea Rural Community Corporation, the Automotive Parts Certification Support Center, and the Chungnam Veterinary Medical Association.

Also, three provincial public institutions, including Chungnam Credit Guarantee Foundation, Chungnam Economic Promotion Agency, and Science and Technology Promotion Headquarters of Chungnam Research Institute, have newly settled in Naepo New City.

A total of 5,604 households in 11 apartment complexes have moved in.

Governor Kim Tae-heum's urging of relocation of public institutions in the Seoul metropolitan area and his efforts to attract the government, businesses, and universities are also analyzed to have acted as factors in population growth by raising expectations for the future development of Naepo New City.

Governor Kim met with the president and others to strongly request that priority selection rights (draft system) be given to public institutions in Chungnam Innovation City, and that the government announce and implement plans to relocate public institutions in the metropolitan area as soon as possible.

In the case of Chungnam National University's Naepo Campus, the biggest stumbling block, the revision of the 'National School Establishment Decree', was achieved in November last year.

Based on this, the province, Hongseong-gun, and Chungnam National University signed the 'Chungnam National University Naepo Campus Establishment Agreement (MOA)' on February 19 this year, concluding a project that had been sluggish for nearly 10 years.

Chungnam National University Naepo Campus plans to be established with a scale of 1,100 students by 2035, starting with the recruitment of new students in 2027.

In addition, KAIST Gifted School Naepo Campus will be established in 2028 to foster talent in semiconductors and advanced mobility.

Chungnam Transportation Broadcasting, the first public institution and the first broadcasting station attracted by the province, is scheduled to be fully operational in June next year.

With the opening of the Seohae Line double-track railway next month and the Western Inland Expressway in December, the transportation network is expected to establish itself as a hub city with a four-way, eight-lane wide-area transportation network.

In the vicinity of Naepo New City, in Daedong-ri, Hongbuk-eup, a future new industry national industrial complex with an area of 1,712,000 square meters is being promoted, with future automobiles, secondary batteries, artificial intelligence (AI), and hydrogen as key nurturing industries.

In the vicinity of Sapgyo-eup, Yesan-gun, a Naepo agriculture, life science, and convergence industry cluster will be created by 2027 with an investment of 345.8 billion won on a scale of 1,666,000 square meters to create a green bio-industry ecosystem based on agricultural and life science resources, foster future generations of farmers, and realize a future-oriented rural economy.

Projects to improve residential environment are also progressing smoothly.

Hongye Park is nurturing its dream of becoming a world-class luxury park through the creation of a citizen participation forest.

Cultural and sports facilities, such as the sports center (2024), golf course (2025), Chungnam Art Museum (2027), and Arts Center (2029), will be opened sequentially, and are expected to improve the quality of life for Naepo New City residents.

Governor Kim Tae-heum said, "As various projects are progressing smoothly, the population of Naepo New City is expected to reach 50,000 next year, and if the relocation of public institutions is promoted in earnest, the population growth will gain further momentum."

Department in charge: Public Institution Attraction Division, Public Institution Investment Attraction Team

Telephone number: 041-635-3382