Gwangmyeong City Recovers Population of 300,000, Revitalizing Urban Vitality

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Yu Je-seong] Gwangmyeong City's population has exceeded 300,000 residents, buoyed by full-scale move-ins to redevelopment and reconstruction complexes.

The city announced on the 5th that as of February 28, the population reached 300,826.

Gwangmyeong City's population peaked at 355,560 in 2012, but after urban renewal projects accelerated, migration to other regions increased, leading to a decline. Subsequently, it fell below 300,000 in December 2020, and declined further to 277,281 as of October 2024.

However, since November 2024, new apartment move-ins have been occurring successively in redevelopment and reconstruction areas including Gwangmyeong 1-dong, Gwangmyeong 2-dong, and Cheolsan 2-dong, reversing the downward trend. The population, which was 297,468 on January 29, increased by 3,358 in just one month, recovering the 300,000 threshold. This marks the first recovery since falling below 300,000 in December 2020, a span of 5 years and 2 months.

The city projects that the population inflow trend will continue for some time, considering planned large-scale move-in volumes ahead.

Accordingly, to proactively respond to administrative demands accompanying population growth, the city plans to concentrate administrative resources on expanding infrastructure across the city, including transportation, education, childcare, and welfare.

In particular, the plan focuses on improving residential conditions to enable newly arrived citizens to settle stably, and prioritizes policies that enhance quality of life that can be felt in daily life.

Mayor Park Seung-won stated, "As the population has recovered above 300,000, we will examine the transportation system and prepare educational and welfare facilities without interruption so citizens experience no inconvenience in their daily lives," and added, "We will create a clean environment where anyone can live comfortably and pursue well-rounded policies that can increase citizens' satisfaction."