Fall in S. Korea's rural population slows

SEOUL (Yonhap) - The decrease in South Korea's rural population has slowed down sharply in the past five years as fewer people leave farms for cities and more urban dwellers opt to become farmers, government data showed Monday.
The data by the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said the country's rural population stood at slightly over 8.75 million people last year, down 0.08 percent from around 8.76 million in 2005.
The numbers contrast with the 6.58 percent dip in the rural population tallied during the 2000 to 2005 period. In 2000, the number of people living in rural areas hovered at over 9.38 million.
The ministry said that the slower rate of decrease reflects recent trends by city dwellers giving up their jobs for a new life in the country.
It added that difficult job market conditions in urban areas have made it less attractive for people in rural areas to head for cities. Such developments have affected the overall population movement.
The latest data, meanwhile, showed that in the Gyeonggi region adjacent to Seoul and Chungcheong provinces in the central part of the country, there has been an increase in population thanks to the influx of people from cities.