“Agriculture as a High-Tech Industry, Rural Areas as Healing Spaces” … Gyeongbuk Province Launches ‘Agricultural Great Transformation Promotion Committee’

Co-Chairmen Former Minister Kim Jae-su, Harim Chairman Kim Hong-guk, and Kyungpook National University Emeritus Professor Son Jae-geun

Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gui-yeol] On the 17th, Gyeongbuk Province launched the Gyeongbuk ‘Agricultural Great Transformation Promotion Committee’ at the Hwabaek Hall of the provincial government office.

The launch ceremony was held to concretize and implement the agricultural policy vision declared by Gyeongbuk Province last June, titled ‘Agriculture as a High-tech Industry! Rural Areas as Healing Spaces!’

About 80 people attended the launch ceremony, including Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo, experts from production, distribution, and management sectors, and officials from related organizations.

The committee is composed of 72 experts from the public and private sectors, industry, and academia across 16 fields including agricultural policy, smart agriculture, ICT·metaverse, and corporate management.

Going forward, the committee will serve as an on-site idea bank providing advice and policy suggestions for the advancement of Gyeongbuk agriculture and the restructuring of rural spaces.

Kim Jae-su, former Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Kim Hong-guk, Chairman of Harim Group; and Son Jae-geun, Professor Emeritus at Kyungpook National University, will serve as co-chairmen of the committee.

A Gyeongbuk Province official expressed expectations that through a leadership system involving business, administration, and academia, the committee will present innovative provincial government directions, discover policies, and achieve high performance in responding to global crises.

The fact that this committee includes not only agriculture and 4th Industrial Revolution technologies but also corporate management fields is interpreted as reflecting Governor Lee Cheol-woo’s strong will to completely change the framework of agricultural policy beyond the previous level of policy development solely in the agricultural sector.

At the launch ceremony, Governor Lee Cheol-woo emphasized, “Now is the right time for a great transformation in agriculture as 4th Industrial Revolution technologies become widespread,” and added, “Together with the committee, we will not only transform Gyeongbuk agriculture but also fundamentally change agriculture in the Republic of Korea.”

On the 5th of last month, the Preparatory Committee for the 8th Local Government Era announced and confirmed sectoral policy tasks through a report to the residents.

At that event, regarding the agriculture and livestock sector, it was proposed that innovation in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries through digital technology and the introduction of corporate models should lead to a great transformation of farming, mountain, and fishing villages into joint-stock companies.

Furthermore, it was suggested that, first, through technological innovation, farming, mountain, and fishing villages should be completely remodeled into digital innovation towns, and the production structure of these areas should shift from the existing small-scale, marginal, and self-cultivation structure to a large-scale, corporate model, allowing elderly farmers and fishermen to stop working hard and instead become shareholders of companies.