Chungcheongnam-do announced on the 12th that Dangjin City and Buyeo County have been selected in the 2025 Rural Agreement competition organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. With a total project budget of 144.6 billion KRW, they aim to improve rural living infrastructure and provide living services.
The Rural Agreement initiative is a project led by cities and counties to establish long-term development plans for rural areas, aiming to achieve rural policy goals through joint investments by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and urban and rural governments.
Since Hongseong County was first selected in the 2020 Rural Agreement pilot project, a total of 10 cities and counties, including Geumsan County, Cheongyang County in 2021; Asan City, Seosan City, Buyeo County, Yesan County in 2022; Boryeong City, Dangjin City in 2023; and Cheonan City in 2024 have been pursuing these projects.
In this year’s Rural Agreement competition, both submitted locations from Chungcheongnam-do were selected. With a budget of 144.6 billion KRW (national funding of 82.7 billion KRW, local funding of 61.9 billion KRW), they will undergo processes such as restructuring rural spaces, reviewing and finalizing basic regeneration and implementation plans. This will lead to a formal agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Starting next year, the budget will be allocated annually over five years.
This initiative is expected to greatly contribute to the development and revitalization of rural areas in the province by improving lacking rural living infrastructures and providing living services.
Lee Hyuk-se, director of the provincial rural restructuring department, stated, “This selection through the competition allows us to comprehensively plan the necessary rural development projects and achieve common rural policy goals in collaboration with central and local governments. We expect it to improve the quality of life for our rural residents and contribute to regional revitalization.”