South Korean county invites Myanmar refugees to revive dwindling population

“If there is any way to prevent population decline, we are considering all possibilities, including attracting refugees,” an official told the local daily. “We are doing our best to ensure the region does not disappear.”

Yeongyang, about 230 kilometres (140 miles) from Seoul, has the lowest population among districts in South Korea, excluding islands.

To address this issue, county officials are working with the justice ministry on a plan to accept members of the Karen ethnic minority, who have been displaced during decades of conflict between independence fighters and the Myanmar military.

Myanmar nationals made up the largest group of officially recognised refugees in South Korea, with 474 granted refugee status last year, the justice ministry said, according to Radio Free Asia.