'Local Vitality Town' Contest to Create Rural Villages with Established Infrastructure

Local Government Contest Applications Received in March 2024

The government is calling for applications from local governments to create 'Regional Vitality Towns,' which are good rural villages equipped with housing and living infrastructure.

On the 27th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that eight ministries, including the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, will hold a contest for the '2024 Regional Vitality Towns.'

Regional Vitality Towns are projects that provide customized housing of various types such as detached houses and townhouses, offered through sale or rental methods, and where related ministries collaborate to provide integrated support for essential living services such as administrative facilities, schools, and care welfare.

The government decided to expand the project to support settlement as there is increasing demand for relocation to local areas by retirees and young people, but there is often a lack of quality housing and infrastructure.

If local governments autonomously select linked projects and propose the scale of national funding support, the respective ministries will review and finalize the support, which will then be provided financially.

Local governments can freely choose from 18 support projects offered by the eight ministries, and selected local governments will receive national funding support from each ministry as well as administrative support such as special permits and approvals.

The application process will begin in March next year, followed by document screening, on-site evaluation, and comprehensive evaluation in April, with the final selection of 10 sites scheduled for May.

Choi Im-rak, Director General of the Land and Urban Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "The crisis of local extinction now requires a total response beyond individual ministry efforts, with cooperation among central and local governments and the private sector," adding, "We hope Regional Vitality Towns will become a milestone for revitalizing local autonomy."