KUALA LUMPUR - Provincial authorities across South Korea are intensifying initiatives to draw overseas Koreans back home as a means to counter shrinking local populations.

According to The Korea Herald, Wonju in Gangwon Province introduced its “Experience Living in Wonju” programme on 26 October, inviting Koreans living in Australia to take part.

The 15-day programme brought twenty participants to cultural and nature sites such as Chiaksan National Park and a local history museum, while also offering sessions on reverse immigration, asset management and health care.

In May, South Chungcheong Province held a briefing session in Los Angeles under the theme “The best destination for reverse immigration and cozy life” as part of efforts that include working with the Chungcheongnamdo Development Corp. to sell unsold housing units to overseas Koreans.

South Gyeongsang Province is running a month-long residency scheme that gives overseas Koreans time to familiarise themselves with the community, provides living allowances in exchange for social-media sharing, and offers transport from their point of arrival to their accommodation.

Data from the Overseas Koreans Agency shows that 1,565 former emigrants returned to Korea last year, with 56.3 per cent, or 881 people aged 60 and above.

Koreans aged 65 and older are eligible for dual citizenship through the citizenship recovery system.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety designated 89 regions nationwide as population-declining areas in 2021.