Seo Samsuk: "Quality of Life for Farmers Has Worsened Over the Past Six Years"

Rural Life Satisfaction Drops by 6.8 Percentage Points
Pessimism About the Future of Agriculture Rises by 10.8 Percentage Points

Suh Samsuk, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Seo Samsuk, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea representing Yeongam, Muan, and Shinan in South Jeolla Province, released the results of a "Farmer Opinion Survey" conducted over the past six years on October 28. He stated, "Farmers' lives remain difficult, and pessimism about the future of agriculture is spreading."

According to the survey, which Assemblyman Seo has conducted annually since 2020 with 1,200 National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (Nonghyup) members nationwide, satisfaction with rural life fell from 37.3% in 2020 to 30.5% in 2025, a decrease of 6.8 percentage points. The proportion of respondents who said the future of agriculture would be "pessimistic in 10 years" also rose from 41% to 51.8%, an increase of 10.8 percentage points.

Regarding the standard of living in rural areas, more than half (56.1%) answered that it was "similar to five years ago," while the proportion who said "rural areas are lower than urban areas" worsened to 74.3%.

While recognition of the importance of key agricultural institutions increased, the evaluation score for cooperatives (such as Nonghyup and forestry cooperatives) dropped from 3.87 in 2020 to 3.71 in 2025. The National Assembly (political parties) ranked lowest in trust for six consecutive years.

Meanwhile, expectations for agricultural policies under the Lee Jaemyung administration scored 2.96 points, up 0.76 points from the previous administration's 2.20 points. This is interpreted as reflecting farmers' hopes for the new administration's agricultural policy direction.

The initiative farmers expect the most is the "Basic Income for Farmers" (3.66 points), followed by the "Youth Direct Payment Program" (3.43 points) and "Eco-friendly and Carbon Neutral Direct Payment Programs," which also received high marks. Regarding the four major agricultural livelihood laws (including the Grain Management Act), 53.9% responded that they would be "helpful," and 63.9% said that the Food Security Act is "urgent."

Assemblyman Seo emphasized, "These survey results show that the reality of agricultural policy as experienced by farmers remains stagnant. The government must fulfill its constitutional duty to protect the interests of farmers and fishers and respond to farmers' needs with substantive agricultural reforms such as the Basic Income for Farmers and the Food Security Act."