Donghae City to Distribute 1.04 Billion KRW in Public Direct Payment Subsidies to 1,520 Farming Households

Donghae City in Gangwon Province announced on December 22 that it will distribute approximately 1.04 billion KRW in basic public direct payment subsidies for 2025 to 1,520 farming households within its jurisdiction.

Mandatory Education for Direct Payment Farmers. Provided by Donghae City

The basic public direct payment subsidy is a program that has integrated and reorganized the previous rice, field, and less-favored area direct payment systems since 2020. This year marks the sixth year of its implementation. The subsidy is operated in two categories: small-scale farmer direct payment and area-based direct payment.

The small-scale farmer direct payment targets households with a cultivated area between 0.1 and 0.5 hectares. If they meet eight eligibility criteria, including three consecutive years of residence in a rural area and three consecutive years of farming, they receive a fixed annual payment of 1.3 million KRW per household.

The area-based direct payment is for farmers who do not qualify for the small-scale farmer direct payment. If both the farmland and the farmer meet the eligibility criteria, the payment is provided according to unit prices based on cultivated area, up to 30 hectares for individual farmers and 50 hectares for agricultural corporations.

The distribution scale is 470 million KRW for small-scale farmer direct payment to 346 households, and 570 million KRW for area-based direct payment to 1,174 households. In total, 1.04 billion KRW will be provided to 1,520 recipients.

To receive the basic public direct payment subsidy, farmers must faithfully fulfill a total of 16 compliance requirements, including completion of mandatory education for farmers, maintenance of farmland shape and function, and adherence to fertilizer usage standards. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in a reduction of the subsidy according to each specific criterion.

Park Hyunju, Director of the Agricultural Technology Center, stated, "I hope that the basic public direct payment subsidy will provide practical support to farmers who continue their work in challenging conditions," adding, "We also expect it to help maintain and expand the public value of agriculture and rural communities."