Gangjin County's 'Vacant House Policy' Recognized by Central Government

Gangjin County Selected for Rural Vacant House Regeneration Project
2.1 Billion KRW in Support for Housing, Workation, Culture, Experience, and Startup Spaces

The vacant house policy of Gangjin County, Jeollanam-do (Governor Kang Jinwon) has been recognized as the 'top policy' by the central government.

According to the county on the 2nd, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs selected three regions this year for its Rural Depopulation Response Vacant House Regeneration Support Project: Gangjin County in Jeollanam-do, Cheongdo County in Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Namhae County in Gyeongsangnam-do. Each selected district will receive a total of 2.1 billion KRW in support over three years.

The Rural Vacant House Regeneration Support Project aims to systematically renovate areas with concentrated vacant houses through cooperation between the private sector and local governments. The goal is to attract residents to rural areas by transforming vacant houses into spaces for residential use, workation, culture and experience, and startups.

Rural vacant house regeneration support project to be established in Byeongnyeong-myeon. Provided by Gangjin County

Through this project, the county plans to utilize 10 vacant houses in Byeongyeong-myeon to create rural experience guesthouses and village hotels, as well as to establish rural experience facilities and spaces for startups and culture. These spaces are expected to provide various hands-on experiences for rural visitors and local residents, offering opportunities to experience the cultural value of Byeongyeong.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to allocate 10% of the total budget in the first year, 40% in the second year, and 50% in the third year to ensure the smooth implementation of the rural vacant house regeneration project.

Since the launch of the 8th popularly elected administration, Gangjin County has attracted a large influx of urban residents through strong vacant house policies such as remodeling. So far, the county has supported the settlement of 60 households and 163 people, leading efforts to overcome the crisis of local extinction.

In particular, as the influx of young people and families increases, the local community is becoming more vibrant, and vitality is returning to every alleyway. These new residents only need to pay a deposit of 1 million KRW and a monthly rent of 10,000 KRW.

Governor Kang Jinwon said, "The vacant house project is not simply about repairing old houses, but about providing opportunities to design new lives. Through Gangjin County's unique policy that links jobs and housing, we will do our best so that more people can find hope in Gangjin."

The achievements of Gangjin County are already drawing nationwide attention. Even last year, officials from various local governments and central ministries visited to benchmark the vacant house remodeling project.

Officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport highly praised Gangjin County's success story, emphasizing the need to expand such policies nationwide. In fact, Namhae County in Gyeongsangnam-do benchmarked the vacant house project in the first half of last year and launched a similar project in the second half.