○ Promoting a “30-minute rural community” is integral in effectively navigating the local extinction crisis. 

○ The central government is advised to establish a “30-minute rural community” based on the “15-minute city” model, allowing residents to access daily necessities within a set time. To this end, phased mobility plans should be implemented, adapting the “time- city” concept to rural conditions. This initiative will help rural residents enjoy essential community and living services and cope with local extinction proactively. 

○ Pursuing rural government-led “time-city” planning 

○ A state-led “30-minute rural community” must be established in order to efficiently and quickly deliver essential public and community services wherever they are needed. This will be accomplished by building transportation infrastructure and increasing mobility options, such as walking, cars, trains, and public transportation, as many rural residents still struggle to access these services.

○ Establishing functional rural transportation networks 

○ Rural areas have a limited supply of organic roads. Thus, it is vital to build systematic road networks that not only improve inter-community mobility by optimizing travel time between various facilities, including medical and cultural ones, but also foster inter-community interactions and cohesion.

○ Government financial assistance for public transportation and demand responsive transport (DRT) 

○ In addition to the pending “Act on the Movement Rights of Rural Residents,” it is crucial to establish a legal framework by legislating the following ideas: constructing a region-specific “30-minute rural community,” offering government financial assistance for DRT, commercializing rural self-driving systems that combine passengers and logistics, and providing state-led road networks to enhance mobility and accessibility. 

○ Urgent introduction of advanced logistics-linked autonomous vehicles tailored to rural conditions

○ Considering rural-specific conditions, it is necessary to commercialize rural-type autonomous vehicles that combine passengers and logistics (e.g., luggage spaces in self-driving buses) to realize a “30-minute rural community.” Additionally, legal regulations must be established alongside policy support such as the designation of pilot zones for autonomous vehicles. 

○ Construction of one railway station per city/county in rural areas

○ An analysis of the relationship between the presence of a railway station and the population extinction index in 34 counties with a population of 50,000 or more revealed varying local extinction risk indexes depending on the presence or absence of a railway station. Therefore, constructing a railway station is recommended in counties with a population of 50,000 or more where railways are expected to allow residents to cover longer distances and facilitate the influx of de facto population. 

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