Demographic Decline, Pragmatic Talk: Local Immigration Discourse under Demographic Pressure in South Korea

As South Korea faces unprecedented demographic decline, marked by the world’s lowest fertility rate and rapid population aging, immigration has begun to feature in local political discourse. This study analyzes over two decades of local council meeting records across administrative districts to examine whether demographic conditions influence rhetorical engagement with immigration, and whether such discourse exhibits ideological polarization. Using computational text analysis, the analysis finds that lower birth rates and population stagnation are associated with increased mentions of immigration, but not with greater partisan divergence in sentiment. Rather than a site of ideological contestation, immigration tends to be discussed in practical terms, often linked to labor shortages and local sustainability. These findings suggest that under conditions of centralized immigration policy, limited migrant presence, and acute demographic pressure, immigration can gain salience in local politics without becoming a polarizing issue. This study contributes to broader debates on demographic change and political responsiveness.