On the 18th, Buyeo County in Chungnam Province announced the implementation of rural stay-type shelters to attract a floating population and revitalize the rural economy.
A rural stay-type shelter is a temporary accommodation in the form of a temporary structure with a total floor area of 33 square meters (10 pyeong) or less, established to support weekend or experiential farming by urban residents and farm management by farmers, without requiring farmland conversion permits.
The shelter may include auxiliary facilities such as an eave (within 1 meter), a deck (up to an area calculated by multiplying the longest exterior wall by 1.5 meters), and a parking lot (up to 13.5 square meters for open ground type).
Shelters can be installed on farmland if the farmer personally uses them for farming operations; they cannot be rented out to others or used as worker accommodations.
Applicants must first check with the Agricultural Policy Division at the county office to confirm whether a shelter can be installed. Then, they must submit a temporary structure construction report and required documents (site plan, floor plan, and land use consent if the land is owned by someone else) to the Urban Architecture Division (Architecture Team).
Facilities such as electricity, water supply, and wastewater treatment must be reported separately in accordance with relevant laws.
Additionally, if applicants wish to create an access road (from the road to the parking lot) by paving or laying gravel on farmland, they must obtain a farmland conversion permit (consultation). Within 60 days of installing the shelter, they must register the temporary structure report certificate and the current status of the rural stay-type shelter with the Agricultural Industry Support Team at the relevant Eup/Myeon Administrative Welfare Center to have it listed in the farmland register.
Rural stay-type shelters are facilities where permanent residence is not permitted. If a resident registration transfer is filed, it will be considered illegal farmland conversion under the Farmland Act, and administrative penalties may apply, so caution is advised.
Existing illegal farm huts may be converted into shelters by 2027 if they meet the revised location and installation standards for rural stay-type shelters.
An official from the county said, "With the introduction of the rural stay-type shelter system, opportunities to experience rural life can now be provided. We expect that this will not only attract more people to live in rural areas but also improve the convenience of farm management for farmers, thereby contributing to more efficient farming."
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