Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in Sejong City. [Photo by Yoo Dae-gil]
Interest in the rural basic income pilot program is heating up, with 44 counties applying for five additional slots, resulting in a competition ratio exceeding 8 to 1. The government plans to finalize the selection of additional regions next month.
On May 10, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that 44 counties had applied for the expanded pilot program aimed at providing basic income in rural areas.
The rural basic income pilot program aims to combat the crisis of rural depopulation by providing monthly payments of 150,000 won in local love gift certificates to stimulate local consumption.
To mitigate the impact of high inflation due to geopolitical risks in the Middle East and to strengthen support for vulnerable rural areas, the ministry secured additional budget funding last month. As a result, a call for applications was made to select five more counties from 59 designated areas experiencing population decline. The response was robust, with 44 counties expressing interest, leading to a competition ratio of 8.8 to 1.
Specifically, the applicants include one county from Gyeonggi, eight from Gangwon, four from Chungbuk, four from Chungnam, five from Jeonbuk, eleven from Jeonnam, five from Gyeongbuk, and six from Gyeongnam, totaling 44 counties.
The ministry will form an evaluation committee composed of private experts in rural policy, basic income, balanced development, and local finance, and plans to announce the selection of the five additional counties next month.
Kang Dong-yoon, director of the Rural Income and Energy Policy Division at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "We will actively support the rural basic income pilot program to ensure it takes root in the selected areas and leads to tangible results."
On May 10, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that 44 counties had applied for the expanded pilot program aimed at providing basic income in rural areas.
The rural basic income pilot program aims to combat the crisis of rural depopulation by providing monthly payments of 150,000 won in local love gift certificates to stimulate local consumption.
To mitigate the impact of high inflation due to geopolitical risks in the Middle East and to strengthen support for vulnerable rural areas, the ministry secured additional budget funding last month. As a result, a call for applications was made to select five more counties from 59 designated areas experiencing population decline. The response was robust, with 44 counties expressing interest, leading to a competition ratio of 8.8 to 1.
Specifically, the applicants include one county from Gyeonggi, eight from Gangwon, four from Chungbuk, four from Chungnam, five from Jeonbuk, eleven from Jeonnam, five from Gyeongbuk, and six from Gyeongnam, totaling 44 counties.
The ministry will form an evaluation committee composed of private experts in rural policy, basic income, balanced development, and local finance, and plans to announce the selection of the five additional counties next month.
Kang Dong-yoon, director of the Rural Income and Energy Policy Division at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "We will actively support the rural basic income pilot program to ensure it takes root in the selected areas and leads to tangible results."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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