"Average Age of 27"... South Korea's Youngest Village

South Korea is currently facing the crises of regional and rural extinction. The aging problem in rural areas is particularly severe, with those aged 65 or older accounting for more than half of the farming population. However, there is a completely opposite village in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province. Introducing itself as "South Korea's youngest village," "Seoro Village" has an average age of 27. Six years ago, a local church pastor bought an abandoned school and donated it to the village, after which young people began gathering one by one to renovate the school and build a community. Kim Woo-hyun, a 30-year-old village leader, was the last graduate of this school and is striving to protect his hometown alongside other youths. The young residents have remodeled the closed school into a cafe, a burger joint, and a woodworking shop, generating income. Driven by word-of-mouth about steady income, the novel challenge of village-building, and the relaxing daily life unique to the countryside, urban youths have also started moving into the village to live. The government has also been running the "Youth Village Creation" project since 2018 to help young people settle in regional areas. The project provides 600 million won over three years to selected youth villages, helping young people connect local people and resources to create new opportunities. So far, 61 locations have been selected as youth villages, one of which is a village called "Jipdanjiseong" (Collective Intelligence) located on Honggotong Street in Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province. Kim Man-i, the 37-year-old head of Jipdanjiseong who was born and raised in Seoul, moved down to Hongseong six years ago without any prior connections and began a unique challenge. He has been transforming "Honggotong," once the largest bustling district in Hongseong but now a decayed old downtown area, into a hub for local startups. Results are also showing. Up to now, 20 teams have launched startups through Jipdanjiseong, helping 30 people settle down in Hongseong, and the vacancy rate of Honggotong, which once exceeded 40%, has reportedly dropped to 10%. Kim Man-i emphasized, "Local areas are magical spaces where my efforts return compounded," and a land of opportunity where anyone with passion can take on a challenge. Not only in Hongseong but across the country, many young people are embarking on a new experiment called "Youth Villages." Hwang Jong-gyu, a Dongyang University professor who participated in the evaluation of the youth village project, stated that because this project is an unprecedented policy, people should not rush to demand immediate, visible results. He noted that while the majority of young people head to cities in search of better jobs and opportunities, we should support and cheer on the challenges of those youths who instead find possibilities in regional areas.

This week's <Newstory> listens to the stories of young people who remodeled an abandoned school to build a village and revived a declining downtown area into a startup base, while examining the conditions for the success of youth villages through them.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.