Metropolitan overcrowding worsening again

Overpopulation in metropolitan areas is growing worse, as an increasing number of people are moving into these areas, officials said Tuesday.

Nineteen out of every 100 Koreans were found to have moved into other districts with the urbanization of big cities such as Seoul, Taegu and Kwangju accelerating.

According to the National Statistical Office (NSO), the number of people who moved into metropolitan areas came to 150,252 last year, up 58.5 percent from 94,822 in 1999. The percentage represents the largest net increase of people moving to Seoul and its vicinity since 1993, when the net increase was 151,529.

Out of the total 150,252, 70.6 percent or 106,095 were people in their 20s looking for jobs and places in vocational training institutes. Those in their 30s accounted for 9.1 percent and teenagers 10.6 percent.

``The population in metropolitan areas increased sharply because the number of people moving into areas with more job openings was similar to the level in 1999 but the number of those leaving decreased sharply due to the economic slump,`` an NSO official said.