1. Research Objectives and Contents

■ Research Background and Objectives

￮ The government has implemented multiple rural village development programs to sustain villages as fundamental units of rural communities. However, limited availability and utilization of village-level baseline data, including demographic, housing, and economic indicators, have constrained scientific, data-driven analyses. Consequently, policy planning and project implementation have not met expected outcomes. This may further accelerate rural decline, and if left unaddressed, these challenges could exacerbate the risk of rural extinction. This research has three primary objectives. First, it focuses on updating existing spatial boundary data for rural villages. To achieve this, basic administrative district maps (administrative subdivisions and natural villages) developed by local governments in Jeonbuk State between 2020 and 2024 are used to update existing rural village (administrative ri) boundary maps and to construct an updated spatial database for all cities and counties in the province. Second, updated rural village boundary maps are utilized to spatially aggregate village-level data from the Population and Housing Census and the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Census, facilitating the development of an advanced geospatial statistical database for rural communities. Third, the village-level spatial statistical database provides the foundation for assessing village decline, deriving village extinction indicators and indices, and formulating strategic responses to rural decline. 

■ Research Scope and Contents

￮ The spatial scope includes administrative ri units in rural cities and counties throughout Jeonbuk State. The temporal scope consists of Population and Housing Census data from 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2022, together with Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Census data from 2010, 2015, and 2020. 

￮ Furthermore, the research framework comprises four components: reviewing policy trends and relevant literature, updating the Jeonbuk State village spatial database, analyzing rural village decline in Jeonbuk State, and assessing rural village extinction risk indices.

2. Conclusions and Policy Recommendations

￮ This study was structured around four major components to analyze rural village decline in Jeonbuk State. The first component involved establishing rural village boundary maps and baseline information systems. Drawing on existing administrative ri boundary maps and basic administrative district maps developed by Jeonbuk State, rural village boundary maps were updated and integrated with data from the Population and Housing Census and the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Census to reconstruct detailed village-level demographic, household, and housing information.

￮ Second, this study examined rural village decline in Jeonbuk State using detailed village-level data, presenting findings through spatiotemporal analysis and map-based visualization. Female population data were analyzed and visualized spatially through thematic mapping, alongside population, household, and housing indicators. Additionally, time-series analysis of rural village decline provided detailed insights into the status and evolving patterns of rural village extinction.

￮ Third, this study developed a rural village extinction risk index to assess the degree of village extinction risk and classified rural villages into six risk levels. Rural villages were categorized into general villages and extinction-risk villages, each comprising three subtypes. General villages were classified into no-risk, low-risk, and moderate-risk groups, whereas extinction-risk villages were categorized as caution-stage villages, villages entering the extinction-risk stage, and high-risk villages. Out of 5,160 rural villages analyzed, 53.33% (2,752 villages) were classified as extinction-risk villages.

￮ Finally, this study presented response strategies for rural village extinction from two strategic perspectives. Given that over half of rural villages in Jeonbuk State had entered the extinction-risk stage, the study recommended developing a “Comprehensive Plan for Rural Village Extinction Response,” including its core policy directions and implementation objectives.

￮ This study also proposed aligning rural village extinction response strategies with broader regional decline response and rural restructuring initiatives. Rural housing improvement and economic revitalization efforts must prioritize extinction-risk villages due to the shared targets and objectives of these approaches. In the context of rural restructuring, the study proposed spatial functional transformation strategies tailored to the characteristics of general villages and extinction-risk villages identified in this research, particularly in relation to the designation of rural specialized districts to promote rational land use and rural economic revitalization.

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