Depopulation is intensifying in non-metropolitan areas in South Korea with the nation recording a remarkably low fertility rate of 0.78 in 2022 (National Assembly Budget Office, 2023) and a significant migration trend towards metropolitan areas, especially Seoul. This migration, largely attributed to socioeconomic incentives in Seoul, has led to a situation where many describe the nation as the “Republic of Seoul” (SKKUP, 2021). Strikingly, population outflow tends to affect depopulation in non-metropolitan areas more than the birth rate decline (KRIHS, 2022). Since 2020, the population of the metropolitan areas, where it only occupies 11.8% of the total land area, has exceeded the population of the non-metropolitan areas, evidenced by an increase from 48.8% in 2000 to 50.4% in 2021 for metropolitan areas and a decrease from 51.2% in 2000 to 49.6 in 2021 for non-metropolitan areas (KRIHS 2022; KRIHS 2021). As a result, while over half of the country’s population and GDP is housed in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, 49.6% of local municipalities (113 out of 228) are facing drastic population decline (KEIS, 2022). Despite governmental interventions, regional disparities persist. This research seeks to explore sustainable strategies for the shrinking cities in South Korea by delving into three case studies with qualitative analysis of interviews with stakeholders from each municipality.