Chip hubs draw Koreans in their 20s, 30s as regional divide widens
Young adults are flocking to Gyeonggi and other semiconductor and display centers, deepening regional divides as jobs and housing costs reshape migration.
Samsung Electronics' Hwaseong chip complex in GyeonggiSAMSUNG ELECTRONICS
Regions with clusters of semiconductor, display and other advanced manufacturing companies are attracting growing numbers of young adults, with Gyeonggi recording the country's largest net inflow.
Gyeonggi recorded the largest net inflow of people in their 20s and 30s, with 105,785 people moving into the province between July 2022 and May this year, according to an analysis by Leaders Index based on data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics published on Tuesday. July 2022 is when current local governments elected from the eighth local elections took office.
Seoul followed with a net inflow of 66,561, Incheon with 44,976, South Chungcheong with 7,895, Sejong with 6,059, Daejeon with 4,569 and North Chungcheong with 3,109.
Of the total net inflow of 238,954 people in their 20s and 30s, 90.9 percent moved to the greater capital region, which includes Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon.
South Gyeongsang recorded the largest net outflow of people in their 20s and 30s with 46,075 people. North Gyeongsang followed with a net outflow of 38,524, Busan with 28,502, North Jeolla with 27,326, Gwangju with 24,453, Daegu with 22,286 and South Jeolla with 21,439.
The trend appears to reflect differences in regional industries. Areas with advanced industries such as semiconductors and displays attracted large numbers of young people, while those centered on traditional manufacturing saw net outflows.
Hwaseong and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi, home to Samsung Electronics semiconductor plants, recorded net inflows of 49,150 and 24,748 people in their 20s and 30s, respectively.
LG Display's production facilities in Paju, GyeonggiLG DISPLAY
Gyeonggi's Paju, where LG Display operates production facilities and the Unjeong New Town development is underway, saw a net inflow of 14,195 people. Suwon in Gyeonggi, which has research and development infrastructure for major companies including Samsung Electronics, net gained 11,384.
Ansan, although also in Gyeonggi, recorded a net outflow of 19,779 people in their 20s and 30s. The city is known to have a high concentration of traditional manufacturers. Changwon in South Gyeongsang, also a traditional manufacturing-focused city, net lost 16,293.
Housing costs also emerged as a key factor behind population movement. The analysis found that younger residents tended to leave areas where median apartment prices rose and move into areas where prices fell.
Jeonju, for example, lost 15,443 residents in their 20s and 30s as apartment prices rose around 2023.
"Even after controlling for regional variables such as the size of local governments and population, there was a clear tendency of the number of people in their 20s and 30s declining when apartment prices rose and increase when prices fell," said Cha Kyoung-cheon, a business administration professor at Dong-A University who participated in the analysis.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
