Gyeonggi Province Selects 124 Residents for Low Birth Rate Response Civic Panel

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hoon] Gyeonggi Province has selected 124 residents for the civic panel "I Wonder" of the provisional "Population 2.0 Committee" being formed to respond to the low birth rate.

Previously, Gyeonggi Province announced that it would launch the provisional "Population 2.0 Committee" to devise low birth rate response policies and incorporate field voices in the decision-making process.

The committee will be chaired by Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon at regular monthly meetings, and will form a 200-member resident participation pool to engage in meetings or in-depth interviews depending on the agenda.

From the 15th to the 30th of last month, the province announced recruitment across the provincial website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, blog, and KakaoTalk channels to select one representative per city and county in four fields: marriage, pregnancy and childbirth, childcare, and elementary school care.

Reflecting public interest amid an unprecedented population crisis caused by a critical low birth rate of 0.78 total fertility rate, over 1,073 Gyeonggi Province residents—more than eight times the 124 positions—applied to participate.

The 124 selected members of I Wonder will continue activities such as raising awareness and promoting cultural change through social media and in-depth interviews by field—marriage, pregnancy and childbirth, childcare, and elementary school care—until November this year.

The province first conducted an in-depth interview (FGI) with I Wonder members in the pregnancy and childbirth field at the provincial government office on the 2nd of this month.

The in-depth interview was conducted over two sessions with on-site participants and online participants from distant areas such as northern Gyeonggi province.

The pregnancy and childbirth field primarily targets childless married residents, those dealing with infertility, and residents whose children were born within the past year.

Accordingly, the first interview was mainly focused on policy proposals regarding infertility treatment and support for childbirth.

There was also significant discussion about the necessity of improving awareness of pregnancy and childbirth in society and the workplace.

These field voices will play a key role in being incorporated into low birth rate response policies created by the provisional "Population 2.0 Committee."

Meanwhile, the first regular meeting of the provisional "Population 2.0 Committee" chaired by Governor Kim Dong-yeon is scheduled to be held by the end of this month.