Kim Jin-o vows to spread Seoul's low birth rate, aging society policies nationwide

Kim Jin-o, vice chairman of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy, met with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon at Seoul City Hall on Wednesday to discuss ways for the central and local governments to cooperate in addressing the low birth rate and aging society.

The meeting was the second in a series of visits to the governors and mayors of all 16 cities and provinces, following a meeting with North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo on Aug. 3.

"Population is an indispensable element of South Korea's future competitiveness," Kim said. "Population policy cannot be solved by the central government alone, so we will work closely with local governments to develop policies that citizens can feel in their daily lives."

Kim particularly highlighted Seoul's Sonmok Doctor 9988 program — a wearable health-monitoring initiative for older residents — as a strong example of aging policy, saying it proactively reduces the burden of medical and welfare costs expected to surge as the elderly population grows while improving quality of life by extending healthy life expectancy. "We will spread the best policies of Seoul and other local governments," he said.

He also cited two programs as strong examples of low birth rate policy: Seoul-type Kids Cafes, a network of 232 child-friendly community spaces built within easy reach of residential areas, and the Seoul Child Hearty Meal project, an integrated care program offering quality lunches, reading activities and virtual reality programs to fill the childcare and meal gap for elementary school students during school vacations.

In response, Mayor Oh said the low birth rate and aging population are "the most important challenges that the central and local governments must tackle together," adding that Seoul is continuously expanding lifestyle-oriented policies aimed at improving residents' quality of life to build a city that is good for raising children and one that is healthy and vibrant.

The two sides agreed to broaden policy cooperation across a range of areas — including measures to address the low birth rate, ensure healthy aging, build a care system and reorganize urban spaces in response to demographic shifts — and to continue working together so that central and local government population policies are organically linked.