South Korea faces mounting demographic challenges, including rapid aging, population decline, and youth outmigration—trends increasingly framed as “local extinction.” In response, policymakers have turned to Japan’s Compact + Network model, particularly the case of Toyama, as a spatial solution. This thesis traces Korea’s demographic evolution and critically examines its adaptation of the compact city model. It explores how the concept of local extinction has been reinterpreted in the Korean context, and whether current policy responses align with the needs of aging, declining regions. Through comparative analysis, the study reveals a growing disconnect between the stated goals of compact cities and its actual implementation, which often favors growth in metropolitan peripheries. Ultimately, the thesis questions whether Korea’s compact city initiatives serve their intended demographic purpose—or whether they have been co-opted by growth coalitions to further real estate development in thriving areas.