Lee visits North Gyeongsang Province to check on basic income pilot

President tours Cheongsong-gun and Yeongyang-gun to hear residents' response to basic income program

President Lee Jae Myung visits Yeongyang Traditional Market in North Gyeongsang Province on Saturday, speaking with vendors. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung visited Cheongsong-gun and Yeongyang-gun in North Gyeongsang Province — both pilot sites for a rural basic income program — on Saturday to assess how residents have responded to the initiative and hear their views firsthand.

At both locations, Lee heard from residents that the basic income payments have helped revive local commerce and draw new residents to areas that had been struggling with population decline.

Lee visited the commercial district near Jinbo Traditional Market in Cheongsong-gun's Jinbo-myeon and the village of Yeondang 1-ri in Yeongyang-gun on Saturday afternoon, meeting with local residents at each stop.

Cheongsong-gun and Yeongyang-gun were designated as rural basic income pilot areas in June 2026 and October 2025, respectively. Each resident receives 200,000 won ($150) per month in local gift certificates. Since being selected as pilot sites, both areas have seen their populations grow by more than 5 percent and local commercial sales rise.

Touring the commercial district near Jinbo Traditional Market in Cheongsong-gun, Lee stopped at a range of shops — including restaurants, a butcher and a grocery store — and listened to what vendors had to say.

When Lee told one young vendor that starting a business in a rural township must not have been easy and that it took courage, the vendor said, "My goal was to open a shop, and thanks to the basic income, business is worth doing." Other vendors said they had been feeling the uptick in sales, with several saying business had been enjoyable lately.

Lee joined residents for lunch and listened to their views on expanding the basic income program and easing the burden on local government finances. "I will pay closer attention to the fiscal side so that basic income can be provided in a more stable way," Lee said.

President Lee Jae Myung greets residents during a visit to Yeongyang Traditional Market in North Gyeongsang Province on Saturday. [Yonhap]

Lee then traveled to Yeongyang-gun, where he visited a mobile market — called Masil Jangter — run by the county government to serve residents who have difficulty purchasing daily necessities. The mobile market loads more than 150 types of goods, including groceries, onto vehicles and visits villages twice a day, five days a week.

The Yeongyang-gun county chief, greeting Lee upon arrival at the mobile market, said it was the first time a sitting president had visited and that the county's population had grown for the first time in half a century, crediting the basic income program.

The operator of the mobile market drew laughter from Lee and others present when he said residents joke the service is faster than Coupang Inc.

Meeting with residents at the Yeondang 1-ri village community center, Lee recalled visiting Yeongyang as a child. "Andong is just over the mountains from Yeongyang. I remember coming here as a boy, holding my father's hand, because I had an ear infection," Lee said. "Yeongyang is surrounded by mountains on all sides — an island in the middle of the land — and has faced real hardship. Basic income can be a new opportunity for this place."

Lee added that he would make sure the basic income program is delivered effectively and on a stable footing.

sang@heraldcorp.com