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The diminishing student population in Incheon is forcing some of the city's island schools to close, shrink or remain empty without any specific plans amid Korea's persistently low birthrate.

According to the Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education, Tuesday, five island schools have shut down permanently since late 2018, with more likely to face the same fate in the coming years due to a lack of pupils.

Schools across the country have been struggling with the same issue in recent years. But it is being felt most acutely by residents of remote islands as young people leave for cities in search of better jobs and more convenient lifestyles.

After the closure of Seodo Elementary School and Seodo Middle School on Boreum Island in 2018, Nanjeong Elementary School on Gyodong Island followed suit the following year. In March 2023, Gyodong Elementary School on the same island as well as Yongyu Elementary School on Muui Island closed.

Two other elementary schools located on Socheong Island and Seungbong Island have also failed to recruit new students since 2019. If they close, there will be just five island schools left under the Incheon education office's supervision. As the schools are also running out of students as they graduate or move away, it's only a matter of time before they have no students whatsoever.

Residents on the islands fear the closure of schools may prompt more young people to leave. But there are no realistic solutions to reverse the trend.

According to the Incheon education office's website, 17 schools have closed in the city alone since 2018. Meanwhile, nearly 200 schools have suffered the same fate across the country.

The demographic shift is only expected to accelerate as Korea's total fertility rate — the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime — continues to decrease. Currently standing at 0.72, Korea's total fertility rate is already the world's lowest, with no signs of bouncing back anytime soon.

To tackle this existential issue, President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Monday that he will establish a senior presidential secretary post that will be dedicated to the task. This came just days after he announced the creation of a new ministry as his policy commitment to the matter.