Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryeong visited Boeun County in North Chungcheong Province to assess the operation of the rural basic income pilot project.
On October 27, Minister Song held a field meeting in Boeun, a designated area for the basic income initiative. The meeting took place at Cafe Meum, operated by the Boeun Darak Cooperative, and was attended by Congressman Park Deok-heum, Boeun County Mayor Choi Jae-hyung, local residents, and merchants.
The Boeun Darak Cooperative is a social solidarity economic organization established in June 2023 to revitalize the local economy and develop specialty products. It has partnered with Chungcheong University to create and sell beverages made from the region's specialty product, jujube. This initiative connects basic income to the consumption of local specialty products, encouraging spending in traditional markets and other local businesses.
Minister Song also visited 'Bbangnip Village' at the Boeun Traditional Market, which sells local seasonal vegetables and imperfect produce. This store was launched on October 2 as part of Boeun County's 2026 Youth Local Creator Support Project and is also registered as a place to use basic income.
Hong Ro-a, the store's representative, expressed hope that the rural basic income would lead to the revitalization of the local economy and encourage entrepreneurship among young people.
Minister Song toured the 'Gyeolchoboeun Majung Store,' created through the Rural New Vitality Plus Project. This space combines the sale of local agricultural and specialty products with community activities and experiential programs. It showcases products and content planned and produced by the local community, aiming to translate basic income into local consumption that boosts residents' incomes.
Boeun County is supporting youth entrepreneurship through its Youth Local Creator Support Project and fostering community activities through the Rural New Vitality Plus Project. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs views the connection between basic income and these initiatives as a way to stimulate local production and consumption.
Minister Song remarked, "I was deeply impressed by the efforts of Boeun County and its residents to invigorate the local economy using basic income as a catalyst. We will actively promote collaboration between ministries to ensure that government policies and projects necessary for supporting local youth entrepreneurship and settlement are aligned with social solidarity economics, enabling residents to play a key role in revitalizing their communities."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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