[Ten Thousand Steps Interview] Why Minister of Agriculture Song Miryung Walks: "The Answer for Agriculture Lies in the Field"

Walking the Fields, Meeting Young Entrepreneurs... Steps Toward the Future of Agriculture
From Smart Farms and Food Tech to Traditional Liquor: Proposals for Sustainable Agriculture

"You cannot truly understand rural areas by looking out the window of a car. You have to walk on foot to really see them."

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Miryung is known as a "field-oriented minister" for her hands-on approach, traveling across the country. After meetings, she chooses the stairs over the elevator, and during field visits, she insists on walking rather than using a vehicle whenever possible. She is someone who contemplates policy not at a desk, but on dirt paths. Her walking is not simply a hobby for health. It is more akin to a sense of mission for the transformation and structural change of agriculture. On the day she walked through the green fields of Goesan, her steps were light yet resolute.

On May 8, Minister Song started her walk from "Mwohanong House" in Goesan County, North Chungcheong Province, proceeding slowly along the country road. This experiential village, with its witty name, serves as a point of contact between urban and rural communities and as a new experimental space for young people returning to the countryside. The wooden sign at the entrance, the herb garden, and the vegetable plot experience area all demonstrate that this is not just an exhibition space, but a place where people actually live their lives.

As she walked, small basil houses and a rosemary greenhouse caught her eye. Minister Song gently touched the herb leaves with her fingertips and smelled their scent, remarking, "This is the kind of content that will shape the future of local agriculture." In fact, the village was producing small quantities of products such as basil pesto, herbal tea, and apple jam, which were being sold to visitors.

Goesan is famous as an apple-producing region even within North Chungcheong Province. Agricultural machinery and materials for pruning were placed throughout the area. Minister Song explained to the reporter, "Even in the fruit sector, where mechanization has been slow, changes are taking place," adding, "Traditional orchards are now transforming into smart farms."

The course that Minister Song walked that day was short in distance, but the policy message it contained was weighty. It was more than just a walk. Through walking, she builds relationships, lowers her gaze to see the field, and seeks policy answers among the people.

"Agriculture faces the dual challenges of climate change and an aging population. Short-term measures have their limits. Now is the time to change the structure." Minister Song referred to the repeated supply instability and price fluctuations of agricultural products in recent years, emphasizing that these issues should not be addressed merely through emergency measures such as expanding reserves or urgent imports. As an alternative, she introduced the "Comprehensive Plan for Horticultural Products in Response to Climate Change," established by the government at the end of last year.

The core of the plan rests on three pillars: redesigning the production base, investing in technology, and innovating the distribution structure. She explained, "We need a strategy to expand the 'cultivation base,' moving beyond flatlands to highlands and even overseas production sites," adding, "We are applying this first to items with high supply instability, such as summer cabbage and fruit crops." Technically, she is promoting the field adoption of growth control and long-term storage (MA·CA) technologies, as well as strengthening climate-adaptive R&D, such as heat-tolerant varieties. In terms of distribution, efforts are underway to reduce intermediate distribution steps and mitigate price uncertainty through online wholesale markets.

In fact, last year, the transaction volume of online wholesale markets exceeded the target of 500 billion won, reaching 670 billion won. She said, "It seems likely that we will easily achieve 1 trillion won this year," and added, "If these changes accumulate, the current instability could be reduced in three to five years."

Minister Song also showed strong determination to address rural depopulation. Rather than simply increasing the population, she believes the key is to create an environment where young people want to live in rural areas. The government is currently expanding youth entrepreneurship hubs that combine coffee roasting, shared offices, and accommodation, and various attempts are being made to utilize idle spaces.

She also emphasized institutional improvements for young farmers. There are step-by-step entry tracks, including settlement support payments, rental-type smart farms, successor farmer funds, and links to the Korea National College of Agriculture and Fisheries. Through the Smart Farm Startup Incubation Center, about 200 talents are being trained annually.

Minister Song said, "The era when only strict-value ecologists came to rural areas is over," adding, "Now, practical and creative young people are coming to rural areas to sell bread via social media, open cafes, and supply traditional sauces." She continued, "We need to tightly connect housing, funding, and sales channels so that these young people can settle down; only then will rural areas have a future."

She also mentioned collectivization and mechanization as another solution for agriculture. A representative example is the "Neulbom Farming Cooperative" in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province. About 80 farms pooled their land to create a collective farmland of 110 hectares, increasing profitability through mechanization and multiple cropping. Minister Song stressed, "It is not necessary for large corporations to enter agriculture," adding, "A collectivization model where local farmers work together is the answer."

Regarding the restructuring of the rice industry, she said, "The reduction of paddy field area by 80,000 hectares is already a fait accompli," adding, "We must shift from quantity to quality, and diversify consumption channels." She particularly emphasized the need to create new demand through the development of the traditional liquor industry and processed rice foods.

After a short walk, the interview concluded over apple jam and a cup of herbal tea. Minister Song smiled to the end and said, "This is truly the future of agriculture. Delicious, healthy, and sustainable."

The following is a Q&A with Minister Song.

-We heard that you enjoy walking. Why do you make time for walking despite your busy schedule?

▲It is difficult for me to set aside time for exercise. Instead, I try to move as much as possible during my schedule. After meetings, I take the stairs instead of the elevator, and during field visits, I choose to walk rather than travel by car so I can directly see and listen to the region. In fact, policy does not come from sitting at a desk. A single word from a farmer I meet while walking a country road, or an idea sparked by an abandoned warehouse, can be more policy-relevant. That is why I never stop being on the move.

-Were there any policies that could not be realized, or regrets, regarding the challenges of agricultural product supply instability and price stability?

▲Because agricultural product supply fluctuates with the climate, it is difficult to address with only short-term responses. That is why we operate a public-private growth management council to share information in advance and establish response systems, and we are distributing facilities such as wind machines and micro-sprayers to enhance field responsiveness. However, one regret is that the foundation for precise prediction is still lacking. That is why we are preparing an agricultural satellite. Another is the development of overseas production sites, which stems from the judgment that securing suitable land domestically alone is not enough. If such data-based response systems are properly established, I believe that policy control over supply instability will become truly possible.

-Why is fostering young farmers important?

▲Currently, more than half of rural households are headed by people aged 65 and older. The average age of farm managers is close to 68. Fresh blood is desperately needed. But simply attracting young people is not enough. The settlement support payment is provided like a salary for the first three years, but more important than the money is the structure that helps them establish themselves with their own business. That is why, through the Smart Farm Startup Incubation Center, we provide 20 months of training, then offer a rental-type smart farm, and subsequently connect them to funding, farmland, and sales channels?a kind of "fast track." To change the perception that rural life is tough, agriculture must also be reframed as entrepreneurship and business.

-Do you think improvement of the traditional liquor industry is necessary? What are the solutions?

▲We need to diversify rice consumption channels, and traditional liquor is one way to do that. In Japan, 300,000 tons of rice are used annually for traditional liquor (sake). In our country, we have not yet reached even 10,000 tons. But the potential is great. We are establishing systems such as easing liquor taxes, revitalizing small-scale breweries, and relaxing regulations on sourcing specialty liquor ingredients. If we foster traditional liquor as a cultural industry and export content, both rice and local communities can thrive.

-Are there any rural field cases that have recently caught your attention?

▲I would like to cite the Neulbom Farming Cooperative in Yeongsun-myeon, Mungyeong. One representative consolidated the small plots of about 80 farms into 110 hectares, and various crops such as onions and potatoes were cultivated in double and triple cropping systems. With machines at the center rather than manual labor, labor costs were reduced and productivity improved. The original landowners who leased their land now receive rent, direct payments, and daily wages, earning better incomes than before. If this approach is expanded, rural areas can operate like businesses even without large corporations.

-What is your view on the introduction of corporate farming?

▲There are many misunderstandings about the term itself. When people hear "corporate farming," they imagine large corporations buying up farmland, but I am referring to "incorporated local community agriculture." Like the Neulbom Farming Cooperative, local farmers are at the center, with added mechanization and specialization. This is an example showing that we can achieve large-scale farming without relying on corporate capital. I believe the government's role is to encourage and expand this model.

-Lastly, what agricultural policies would you like to see maintained by the next administration?

▲Agricultural policy should not be reset every time the administration changes. Personally, I have established three laws: the Smart Agriculture Act, the Green Bio Act, and the Food Tech Promotion Act. These are not just laws, but future investments to make agriculture a sustainable industry. Now is the time to sow the seeds. The results may come in a few years. But if this is stopped, the field will become barren again. The direction of structural transformation must continue for our agriculture to survive.

Interview by Jeong Jaehyung, Head of Sejong Central Reporting Headquarters and Economic Policy Specialist

Compiled by Kang Nahum, Reporter