The 'Rural Basic Income Pilot Project,' which Gyeonggi Province first implemented in Cheongsan-myeon, Yeoncheon County in 2022, has been recognized for its excellence. Starting this year, it will be expanded and reorganized into a government-led 'Rural and Fishing Village Basic Income Pilot Project' to be carried out nationwide.
According to Gyeonggi Province on January 20, the government last year designated eight provinces and ten counties across the country as target areas for the 'Rural and Fishing Village Basic Income Pilot Project,' based on the Gyeonggi Province model.
The core of this policy, aimed at improving the quality of life for residents in rural and fishing villages facing population decline and the risk of regional extinction, is to provide local residents in the designated areas with a monthly local gift certificate worth 150,000 won.
Yeoncheon County, which was selected as a government pilot project site, has expanded its support from the existing Cheongsan-myeon area, which previously covered about 3,800 people, to the entire county, now encompassing approximately 44,000 residents.
The project will run until the end of next year, with more than 80 billion won in funding provided by the central government (40%) and local governments (60%, split equally between the province and the county at 30% each).
Following the application process conducted ahead of the project’s launch, 35,151 out of 41,994 eligible residents in Yeoncheon County-representing 83.7%-completed their applications, demonstrating strong interest in the policy.
However, due to delays in the project’s launch caused by the development of government indicators and administrative procedures, Gyeonggi Province has decided to minimize any gaps in support for residents of Cheongsan-myeon, who were already receiving the rural basic income.
Accordingly, for approximately three months until the government project is fully underway, Gyeonggi Province will provide a separate rural basic income to Cheongsan-myeon residents using its own budget, in order to maintain administrative trust.
Lee Moonmu, Director of Agricultural Policy at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "It is a meaningful achievement in this era of local autonomy that Gyeonggi Province’s small experiment has developed into a national policy. We will do our utmost to ensure continuous support for Cheongsan-myeon residents and to facilitate the smooth implementation of the Rural and Fishing Village Basic Income Pilot Project until the government program is firmly established."
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