SPACE February 2025 (No. 687)
Rapid population decline is shaking the fabric of small and medium-sized cities to the core. To rebuild these cities, we need to move away from the inertia of regeneration and take a perspective that acknowledging change. This is where the Mid-Size City Forum comes in. They look at phenomena outside the metropolitan area and seek urban and architectural alternatives to the crisis.
[Series] The Possibilities Inherent in Extinction, Mid-Size City Forum
01 What is Happening Outside the Metropolitan Area
02 Thinning Phenomenon
03 Urban Perforation
04 Erasing Plan
05 Ad-hoc Architecture 1
06 Ad-hoc Architecture 2
07 Global Mid-Size City
08 Resilient Mid-Size City
09 Fantastic Mid-Size City
10 Outside of the Mid-Size City
Global mid-size city (production: Yoon Heewon)
In 2023, news emerged that the first public dormitory for foreign workers was to be established in Geochang, Gyeongsangnam-do, and now similar initiatives are underway in more than ten other regions, including Chungju, Dangjin, and Gunsan. Without needing to cite the statistics revealing that the number of foreign agricultural workers has increased forty-fourfold over the past seven years, it is clear that everything related to survival in small and medium sized (hereinafter mid-size) cities – whether it be the peculiar streetscapes or policies – points to the presence of these foreign workers. It is no longer appropriate to describe this as the curiosity of an unfamiliar neighbourhood; the Mid- Size City Forum guides us to the frontline of this change, posing several challenging questions.
Comparison of changed signage across urban landscapes and floor areas of domestic and foreign-related programmes in the main street of Gimhae’s old town (production: Yoon Heewon). In the foreignerdominated residential area around Dongsang-dong, Gimhae, approximately 18% of the residents are foreigners. The street shops are gradually shifting to target these foreign customers.
Population decline has concurrently increased the elderly and economically inactive populations in mid-size cities. As a result of this shift, we have witnessed possibilities deviating from the traditional approaches to urban design focused on growth and development, ranging from informal urban agriculture, like vegetable gardens, to natural return-oriented facilities like tree cemeteries. However, a certain level of young labour is essential for a city to function correctly. In particular, industrial parks and rural areas near mid-size cities are in constant need of young workers. Yet, in a situation where population decline, and ageing is shrinking the economic scale, it is not easy to find high-quality jobs that appeal to the younger generation in these regions. Moreover, in an attempt to resolve population decline, many mid-size cities have turned to tourism centred around regional festivals, transforming into economies and industrial structures that rely on concentrated tourist activity in specific periods. The demand for jobs in rural areas is also largely seasonal, concentrated during peak farming periods. The seasonal fluctuations of these jobs and the imbalance in workforce supply and demand expand labour market flexibility while introducing cracks into the existing system. As a result, a new type of outsider emerges to fill these gaps in regional mid-size cities.
On the Periphery of Mid-Size Cities: Industrial Parks and Rural Areas
Since the 1980s, the government has been promoting the development of mid-size industrial parks near mid-size cities to modernise the agricultural structure and increase non-agricultural income in rural areas. Currently, 624 general industrial parks and 468 agricultural-industrial parks operate across the country, with 467 of the agricultural-industrial parks located outside the metropolitan area. In fact, most regional mid-size cities have at least one agricultural-industrial park and one general industrial park. For example, Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do has ten agriculturalindustrial parks and three general industrial parks. At the same time, Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, has 21 agricultural-industrial parks and five general industrial parks, and Jeongeup, Jeollabukdo, operates eight agricultural-industrial parks and four general industrial parks. The industrial parks in mid-size cities, particularly those far from the metropolitan area, tend to have lower land acquisition costs, making them more accessible to small businesses with limited capital. These industrial parks are typically small, and because they are distant from large city consumer markets, the entry of large corporations is inevitably limited. As a result, the majority of businesses in these complexes are small-scale, labour-intensive companies. These businesses are often subcontractors for larger companies or involve processing agricultural and marine products, food processing, or small-scale manufacturing that relies on unskilled labour. Compared to jobs in the metropolitan area, these positions typically offer poorer working conditions and lower wages. Consequently, industrial parks in mid-size cities naturally become less attractive to domestic workers, who tend to avoid these jobs. However, the local workforce’s reluctance to work in these positions presents a new opportunity for others. Foreign workers fill the employment gaps caused by the avoidance of local workers. While Korea’s employment policies generally prioritise the employment of local workers, they allow for the employment of foreign workers when local recruitment efforts fail within a specified period. As a result, the proportion of foreign workers in midsize city industrial parks, which tend to offer lowwage and precarious jobs, has naturally increased. A 2023 EBS documentary titled Documentary K – Population Crisis Special: Ultra-Low Birthrate sheds light on the severe labour shortages faced by a small manufacturing company in Eumseong, Chungcheongbuk-do. According to the interview, the company could not hire local workers, and therefore, 90% of the factory’s production workers and around 80% of its total workforce were foreign workers. The company representative explained that factory operations would be impossible without these foreign workers, highlighting the harsh realities faced by small businesses in rural areas. Another media outlet highlighted the factory complexes in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnamdo, where foreign workers account for 87.1% of the manufacturing workforce.▼1 The labour shortage is not limited to industrial parks in mid-size cities. Labour shortages in the rural areas near these mid-size cities are also a serious issue. These regions struggle to meet labour demands, particularly during the peak farming season from March to November. While labour shortages in rural areas have long been an issue, the accelerating population decline and ageing populations have exacerbated the problem to levels far beyond those of the past. Today, labour shortages in rural areas are not seen as a variable but as a constant, and foreign seasonal workers are filling this gap. Foreign seasonal workers are granted short-term entry into the country by the government to address temporary labour shortages. According to Ministry of Justice statistics, the number of foreign seasonal workers assigned to help during the peak farming season was only 1,547 in 2017, but by the first half of 2024, that number had risen to 67,711. In just seven years, the number of foreign workers in rural areas has increased by about forty-four times. The government has been estimating the annual labour required for crops with high seasonal demands to address the fluctuating labour supply and demand in agriculture. For instance, in May and June, when labour demand is at its highest, it is estimated that 2.11 million and 2.23 million workers will be needed nationwide. Based on these figures, the government has consistently increased the number of foreign seasonal workers, although the supply still falls short of the demand on the ground. The many news reports highlighting the persistent labour shortages in rural areas during the peak farming season make the reality of the situation all too clear.
Instability
A closer look at the statistics reveals the growing trend of unregistered foreign workers in regional mid-size cities as the number of foreign workers increases. Unregistered foreign workers are those who either remain in the country after their visa expires or leave their designated workplaces without authorisation for a certain period of time. In 1992, the number of unregistered foreign nationals nationwide was a mere 30,889, but by 2010, it had risen to 168,515, then to 214,168 in 2015, and to 392,196 in 2020. By 2023, the number reached 423,675. Notably, these unregistered foreign workers are more concentrated in mid-size cities in regional areas than in the metropolitan area or large cities. A comparison of the statistics from 2008 to 2023 clearly shows a significant gap in the number of unregistered foreign workers between the metropolitan area and regional areas. While the number of unregistered foreign workers in Seoul increased by 40.7% over the past 15 years, the figures for regional areas saw a dramatic rise: 1,641.5% in Chungcheongnam-do, 1,480.7% in Gyeongsangbuk-do, 1,402.7% in Jeollabuk-do, 1,301.7% in Chungcheongbuk-do, and 1,103.9% in Jeollanam-do. The increase in unregistered foreign workers in regional mid-size cities brings significant changes to the local community. As more outsiders temporarily settle in an area, they alter the fabric of a long-rooted community. Unregistered foreign workers are constantly exposed to the risk of detention and deportation, placing them in an unstable situation where they may have to relocate at any moment. Moreover, because it is difficult for them to secure employment through official channels, the majority find work through private labour agencies. According to a research paper published in the Journal of Rural Development, 41% of unregistered foreign workers find employment through such agencies, 20.7% are introduced to jobs through acquaintances, and 7.9% join local agricultural work teams.▼2 In other words, when jobs are available, people quickly gather, but when work disappears, they easily leave. This structure is not limited to unofficial, unregistered foreign workers; even foreign workers within the formal system find it difficult to break free from the framework of temporary residency. Most foreign workers are subject to institutional restrictions on long-term stays. For example, foreign seasonal workers are only allowed to stay for up to ten months, after which they must return to their home countries. The largest group of foreign workers, unskilled foreign workers, are also subject to a maximum stay of ten years. In such a situation, the decreasing proportion of locals and the increasing proportion of foreign workers in mid-size cities signify a significant rise in the local population’s mobility. The local community becomes a highly fluid and unstable relationship which new foreigners could replace at any moment. This transformation raises new questions for cities. Is it still appropriate to view the residential model of mid-size cities through the lens of stability based on the concept of settlement? Could it instead be (...)
Graph showing changes in the distribution of registered foreigners by visa status and the increase in unregistered foreigners (1990 – 2023, data source: Ministry of Justice, Yearbook of Korea Immigration Statistics, 1990 – 2023). Based on residency status, seasonal work (E8), non-professional (E9), and work and visit (H2) are defined as unskilled foreign workers. In mid-size cities, the rise in unskilled and unregistered foreign workers heralds significant change for the local community.
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1 Kim Minju and Choi Jongkwon, ‘The Future of Korea? Look to Gimhae and Itaewon... 140 Southeast Asian Shops in Traditional Market: 52,000 Foreign Workers, The Era of Coexistence’, JoongAng Ilbo 1 May 2024.
2 Eom Jinyoung, ‘The Employment Status and Challenges of Unregistered Foreign Workers in the Agricultural Sector’, Journal of Rural Development 44 (June 2021), pp. 79 – 104.
