Residents to receive 150,000 won ($99) per person monthly from August in local gift vouchers; pilot counties see 4.7% population rise as Agriculture Ministry eyes broader rural revival

Counties newly selected in the additional open call for the rural basic income pilot project [Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs]
Counties newly selected in the additional open call for the rural basic income pilot project [Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs]

The government will expand its rural basic income pilot project from 10 counties to 17.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Thursday it had selected seven additional counties through a new open call: Hwacheon-gun in Gangwon Province; Boeun in North Chungcheong Province; Jinan and Muju in North Jeolla Province; Gurye and Boseong-gun in South Jeolla Province; and Cheongsong-gun in North Gyeongsang Province.

The rural basic income program provides monthly payments to residents of rural and fishing communities facing population decline, with the aim of stabilizing household incomes and revitalizing local economies and communities.

Residents in the newly selected counties will go through an application and residency verification process before receiving 150,000 won ($99) per person per month starting in August, paid in the form of local gift vouchers.

The ministry has been running the pilot this year across 10 counties: Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province; Jeongseon in Gangwon Province; Okcheon in North Chungcheong Province; Cheongyang in South Chungcheong Province; Jangsu and Sunchang in North Jeolla Province; Gokseong and Sinan in South Jeolla Province; Yeongyang in North Gyeongsang Province; and Namhae in South Gyeongsang Province.

Since the pilot launched, the combined population of those 10 counties has grown 4.7 percent and the number of affiliated merchants has risen 13.7 percent, the ministry said, citing signs of renewed local vitality.

To support rural areas struggling amid an economic slowdown linked to the Middle East conflict, the ministry secured 70.6 billion won in supplementary budget funds and moved to expand the project.

The latest open call drew applications from 44 of the 59 counties designated as population-decline areas, a competition ratio of 8.8 to 1.

The ministry said it formed an evaluation committee of private experts in rural policy, basic income, balanced regional development and local fiscal affairs. The committee assessed applicants on criteria including local government commitment, the severity of population decline risk, local gift voucher infrastructure and overall project feasibility.

Each selected county proposed a basic income model suited to its local conditions. Hwacheon-gun put forward a model that channels revenue from its ice-fishing festival back into the community, while Boseong-gun proposed supplementing the government payment with its own local funds. Cheongsong-gun outlined a plan linking the basic income with free bus services and a community care platform to boost local service use.

The ministry said it plans to support the newly selected counties through its rural basic income task force so they can begin preparations in July.

Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryeong said the rural basic income pilot is "a policy that can simultaneously improve residents' quality of life and energize local economies," adding that the ministry would "actively support rural areas in overcoming the threat of extinction and recovering their vitality through the expansion of the program's coverage."


adastra@heraldcorp.com