Dozens of S. Korean regions lack doctors & lawyers, depopulation crisis
· UPIMay 12 (Asia Today) -- Nearly 50 regions across South Korea lack both lawyers and adequate emergency medical services, highlighting what experts describe as a deepening cycle of regional collapse that is accelerating population decline outside major cities.
According to data obtained exclusively by Asia Today from the Korean Bar Association, 52 municipal districts nationwide do not have a single practicing lawyer. South Jeolla Province had the highest number with 10 districts, followed by Gangwon Province and North Gyeongsang Province with eight each.
Separately, the Ministry of Health and Welfare classifies 98 regions as medically underserved emergency zones, meaning more than 30% of residents cannot reach a regional emergency center within 30 minutes or a major emergency center within one hour.
Asia Today's analysis found that 48 districts fall into both categories, lacking both legal professionals and sufficient emergency medical access.
Most of those regions are also losing population. Of the 48 overlapping districts, 44 recorded population declines over the past decade, according to government residency statistics.
Officials and researchers warn that the absence of essential services is creating a self-reinforcing cycle in which residents relocate to urban centers for safety, healthcare and legal protection, further weakening local economies and infrastructure.
"Areas remain on the map, but they are becoming places where people realistically cannot live," the report said.
Among the hardest-hit areas, Buyeo County in South Chungcheong Province lost 12,280 residents over the past decade, a decline of 17.5%. Taebaek in Gangwon Province lost 21.7% of its population during the same period.
Experts say the problem extends beyond economics and reflects the erosion of basic public safety systems.
In underserved areas, residents may still receive basic treatment for minor illnesses, but emergency conditions such as heart attacks, strokes and severe trauma often cannot be treated locally.
The lack of lawyers also leaves residents with limited access to legal representation in civil, criminal and administrative cases.
Researchers at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs said in a 2024 study that medical shortages both contribute to and result from regional decline.
"The lack of essential healthcare services accelerates population outflow, while population decline reduces demand and leads to the closure of medical institutions," the institute said.
Analysts argue that relying solely on market forces has failed to sustain healthcare and legal services in rural regions and are calling for stronger public-sector intervention.
Proposals include expanding public healthcare systems, offering financial incentives for doctors and lawyers to work in regional communities, and institutionalizing public legal aid services.
Some experts also support mandatory regional service programs.
Japan operates programs that provide scholarships and tuition support for medical students from rural areas in exchange for six to nine years of mandatory service in their home regions. The country also supports regional law firms and subsidizes young lawyers working outside major cities.
Australia runs a Rural Bonded Medical Program that funds medical education in exchange for service commitments in remote communities.
South Korea passed a "regional doctor" law in December requiring some medical students admitted through regional quotas to work in local communities for 10 years after obtaining licenses. However, implementation details have not yet been finalized, and critics warn the program could take at least a decade to produce meaningful results.
Digital services, including telemedicine and remote legal consultations, are also being discussed as supplementary solutions.
Yoo Hye-jung, head of the Population Research Center at the Korean Peninsula Future Population Institute, said the issue should be viewed as a national challenge rather than a regional one.
"Healthcare and legal infrastructure are directly tied to population sustainability," Yoo said. "These are not services that can simply be left to market logic. They must be continuously maintained as public infrastructure."
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260511010002523