The basic income program in Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province, will begin its first payments on August 28. The county is not only focusing on the distribution of basic income but also on expanding spending options in rural areas. Mayor Kim Se-hoon is actively advocating for the program's sustainability by directly engaging with the government.
According to Hwacheon County, eligible residents will receive a total of 300,000 won, covering both July and August, distributed via mobile local currency or prepaid cards.
Once payments commence, the county anticipates an average of over 1.2 billion won in local currency will circulate daily. The key challenge will be connecting the basic income to residents' actual living stability and local consumption.
To address this, the county is prioritizing the expansion of spending options in rural areas, which have smaller populations and less commercial activity compared to Hwacheon-eup. Creating an environment where residents can use their basic income close to home is essential.
Initially, the county will operate the 'Hwacheon Golden Cart,' a mobile marketplace that delivers essential goods and pre-ordered items to residents in 55 administrative villages lacking retail stores within a 1-kilometer radius. The county plans to finalize routes and conduct a demand survey next month, with regular operations expected to start in October.
Existing rural commercial areas will also be utilized as spending bases for the basic income. The county aims to improve facilities and payment environments in older local supermarkets and increase the number of businesses accepting basic income. They will analyze cases from ten other counties already implementing basic income to expand community-driven pop-up markets and other accessible spending options.
This initiative reflects Hwacheon County's vision to ensure that basic income is not merely a cash transfer but a mechanism that stimulates local consumption and supports local businesses. The effectiveness of the program will largely depend on whether it can broaden the consumption base in rural areas where stores are scarce.
Mayor Kim Se-hoon's efforts to engage with the government are also accelerating. On August 20, he attended a meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in Sejong City, chaired by Vice Minister Kim Jong-gu, to discuss the rural basic income pilot program.
During the meeting, Mayor Kim presented Hwacheon's basic income operational plan and requested the government's support for the program to continue beyond its scheduled end next year. He emphasized, "It is crucial for the government to actively support and establish a legal basis for the continuation of the pilot program after its expected conclusion next year."
Hwacheon County was selected as an additional area for the rural basic income pilot program on June 11. According to the county, despite the absence of payments so far, the local population has increased by over 500 in the two months since the selection.
Attention now turns to the impact of the first payments. The upcoming distribution of basic income on August 28 will be a key indicator of how it affects residents' lives, revitalizes local businesses, and whether the pilot program can establish itself as a sustainable rural policy.
Hwacheon County plans to simultaneously expand spending options and enhance living services while continuing discussions with the government to ensure the stable establishment of the rural basic income program.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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