Rural areas are facing increasing concerns of regional extinction due to population decline and aging. As the population decline in rural areas continues, the proportion of the rural population relative to the total national population decreased to 2.6% in 2023, while the proportion of the elderly population aged 60 and over increased to 52.1%.
However, interest in rural areas is increasing, and expectations for the potential development of these areas are expanding. Various types of projects aimed at revitalizing rural areas by attracting retirees and the elderly, thereby alleviating welfare burdens, are expanding. Moreover, the number of people living between urban and rural areas is increasing, along with the growing demand for leisure and healing in rural areas.
Programs providing healing services to vulnerable groups, such as retirees and the elderly, or offering recreational services utilizing rural resources re expanding. Countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Japan support retirees and the elderly in maintaining a meaningful life in rural and mountain villages through insurance and financial aid. In Korea, the government is also promoting policy projects that utilize rural and mountain villages for Social Farming and Care Farming targeting vulnerable groups. In the private sector, businesses providing new living spaces or offering recreational and healing services to retirees and the elderly are expanding.
It is necessary to explore ways to combine the rapidly increasing demand for recreational and healing services with rural areas to expand the potential development base of these regions. As the retirement of the baby boomer generation accelerates, the demand for care services for young retirees and the elderly in urban areas is increasing. Simultaneously, the demand for recreation, healing, and rural lifestyles is rising in rural areas. Therefore, in addition to traditional functions like the production of forest products and forest conservation, it is crucial to link these with the public's demand for recreation, healing, and rural living. This approach can enhance the potential development base of rural areas and promote their revitalization.
This study presents the vision and three strategic directions for revitalizing rural areas in Gyeonggi-Do, based on their potential for development. The primary development strategies for rural areas have mainly focused on expanding the production of agricultural and forest products. Additionally, some small-scale projects supporting the processing and sale of agricultural products related to the sixth industrialization have also been implemented.
In this study, we propose a strategy for revitalizing rural areas by combining and integrating concepts such as maintaining and expanding traditional primary industry functions while expanding recreational, healing, and residential populations. Accordingly, the vision for revitalizing rural areas in Gyeonggi-Do has been set as "Gyeonggi Countryside, a 21st-century-style three-space (living space, resting space, working space)". This vision proposes a direction for rural areas to evolve beyond a mere production role into multifunctional spaces that provide leisure, healing, and a continuous influx of residential population.