[Changes in the New Year] Installation of 'Nongchon Stay-Type Shelters' Allowing Lodging and Cooking on Farmland

Major Changes in Agricultural and Food Sector Policies in 2025

Starting next year, it will be possible to install rural stay-type shelters that allow lodging and cooking on farmland owned by the individual.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 31st that it has jointly published the booklet "Changes from 2025" with related agencies.

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First, according to the revision of the Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules of the Farmland Act, rural stay-type shelters installed as temporary structures on farmland will be officially introduced in January 2025.

Accordingly, individuals will be able to install rural stay-type shelters (with a total floor area within 33㎡) on their own farmland without a separate exclusive procedure, allowing them to experience both agriculture and rural life simultaneously. Auxiliary facilities such as decks, septic tanks, and parking lots can also be installed separately from the shelter's total floor area in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

To install a rural stay-type shelter, one must own farmland that is at least twice the combined area of the shelter and its auxiliary facilities. Additionally, all farmland outside the area used for the shelter and auxiliary facilities must be used for farming activities.

A project to revitalize rural vacant house transactions and regenerate vacant houses in cooperation with the private sector will also be newly established starting next year. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, as of 2023, out of 65,000 rural vacant houses, 29,000 are usable vacant houses.

Local governments will identify usable vacant houses through surveys, obtain owners' consent, specify detailed information such as interior condition, asset value, and surrounding information of the vacant houses, upload this information to real estate transaction platforms, and support intermediaries' activity expenses to manage the vacant houses.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, local governments, large and small enterprises, and the Foundation for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Cooperation will collaborate to prioritize the maintenance of areas densely populated with vacant houses (vacant house priority maintenance zones) in rural areas and promote projects to utilize them as residential, startup, and office spaces.