Gyeonggi population surpasses Seoul

By Isaac Kim

The influx of people in the Gyeonggi Province raised its population to 12 million people, 200,000 more than Seoul.

Gyeonggi Province residents outnumber those registered in Seoul by two million.

The total number of residents in the province increased by 116,000 this year, according to the Ministry of Security and Public Administration (MSPA) on Aug. It said that residents in the province increased by 88,254 from the end of last year, accumulating to 12.18 million in late July.

However, the population in Seoul shrunk by 23,316, leaving a total of 10.17 million residents.

The difference between the two provinces stood at two million residents, which is the first time the difference between the two regions has been this large.

“Gyeonggi Province has two million more than Seoul, and the land is 17 times greater, but the ratio of police is three to two, and the ratio of public officials is four to one, which means Gyeonggi can’t keep up with Seoul in terms of public order and other administrative burdens,” said one Gyeonggi official.

Gyeonggi Province first broke the 10 million mark in 2003 with a population of 10.02 million residents and had always had a gap in population compared to Seoul.

The most populous cities within Gyeonggi Province are Suwon (18,568), Gimpo (16,401), Yongin (15,504), Namyangju (11,885), and Goyang (8,889).

In contrast, areas within Seoul with the most loss of residents include Songpa-gu (-6,268), Jogno-gu (-3,844), and Gangdong-gu (-2,640).