From Demolishing Harmful Facilities to Spatial Strategy... Cheongsong Deok-ri District at a Turning Point for Rural Regeneration

Spatial Reorganization Combining Public Rental Housing and Farming Practice Farms
A Testbed for Rural Regeneration to Counter Local Extinction

Cheongsong County is accelerating improvements to the rural living environment and spatial regeneration by demolishing livestock barns that have long been a source of inconvenience for residents.

The county announced that it was finally selected in the 2023 Rural Space Maintenance Project competition hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, securing total project funding of 18 billion won (9 billion won from the national government, 2.7 billion won from the provincial government, and 6.3 billion won from the county government).

KRW 18 Billion Invested to Begin Comprehensive Overhaul to Build Sustainable Rural Communities Linking Housing, Population and Return-to-Farm

Deok-ri in Cheongsong-eup, the project site, is an area where residents have long filed complaints due to odor and noise from livestock barns located near densely populated residential areas. The impact of the barns has spread to nearby villages depending on weather conditions, and major administrative institutions such as the county office, county council, education support office, and police station are located within a 2 km radius, leading to criticism that this has undermined the image of the area.

Environmental issues have also been continuously raised, including crop damage caused by flocks of crows drawn by the use of food waste leftovers as feed, and worsening everyday inconvenience due to an increase in pests by season. On top of this, problems related to dog breeding have further escalated social conflict, with more than 100 complaints a year filed by animal protection groups.

To resolve these issues, Cheongsong County designated the Deok-ri district as a maintenance target area, formed a residents' committee and a working-level task force, and systematically demonstrated the necessity and urgency of the project, ultimately achieving selection in the competition.

The Rural Space Maintenance Project is a rural regeneration initiative that simultaneously promotes the removal of harmful facilities and the improvement of the living environment. It aims to restore rural competitiveness not only by demolishing individual facilities but also by improving spatial structure and comprehensively refurbishing the environment. The Deok-ri district project will be carried out as a comprehensive maintenance type that combines facility removal and regeneration.

After demolishing the livestock barns, the county plans to link the project with return-to-farming and return-to-rural policies by creating public rental housing and farming practice farms, thereby laying the foundation for population inflow and expecting it to help counter local extinction.

KRW 18 billion invested to launch comprehensive improvement project to build sustainable rural communities linking housing, population and return-to-farming

Compensation will be paid for land and above-ground objects after an appraisal in accordance with the guidelines of the Rural Space Maintenance Project, and the county has decided that business closure compensation will not be paid separately. However, in the case of dog-breeding businesses, separate closure compensation for the purpose of terminating rights was provided under the Special Act to End Dog Meat Consumption, which took effect in August 2024, thereby resolving related civil complaints. The county's position is that these two types of compensation are fundamentally different in their legal basis and purpose, and therefore are separate in nature.

Landowner Nam Seongung (62), who owns the project site, said he made a decision for the sake of the community. In an interview with The Asia Business Daily, Nam said tearfully, "My family has lived here for about 40 years, generation after generation," adding, "Since this is a project for county residents, I decided to offer my land without hesitation, even if it meant personal loss."

He said, "I did feel some disappointment about the compensation amount, but I made considerable concessions for the residents of the county," and stressed, "I believe I received compensation that was lawful and legitimate in terms of procedure." He added, "Although I feel great regret about leaving the place where I have lived my whole life, it is a sufficiently meaningful choice if it allows residents to live in a more pleasant environment."

Resident J (66) also spoke about the inconvenience in daily life. "The odor was so severe that we could hardly open our windows, which caused major restrictions in our everyday lives," the resident said, adding, "As a resident, I am grateful that the landowner made a decision for the region to resolve this problem."

Was finally selected in the 2023 Rural Space Maintenance Project competition hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, securing total project funding of KRW 18 billion (KRW 9 billion national government, KRW 2.7 billion provincial government, KRW 6.3 billion county government).

This project is expected to serve as a turning point in improving local living conditions, as it simultaneously addresses long-standing living environment issues and reorganizes rural space.

The Deok-ri district maintenance project is significant in that it goes beyond resolving environmental complaints to become a case that combines rural spatial restructuring with population inflow policies. In particular, by linking return-to-farming and return-to-rural policies to improvements in the residential environment, it demonstrates the potential for policy expansion as a rural regeneration model designed to counter local extinction.