In Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, approximately 35,000 residents will receive 150,000 won worth of basic income for rural areas. Gyeonggi Province announced on the 26th that the first basic income will be distributed on the 27th to Yeoncheon County, which has been selected as a pilot project site for the government’s rural basic income initiative. The recipients total 35,227 people, and the income will be provided in the form of local gift certificates worth 150,000 won.
The rural basic income policy is a transition of the rural basic income provided by Gyeonggi Province since 2022 to all residents of Cheongsan-myeon in Yeoncheon County, regardless of occupation or income, into a national policy. It involved monthly payments of 150,000 won in local currency. The eligibility criteria have been expanded from the original 3,800 residents of Cheongsan-myeon to all residents of Yeoncheon County.
The core aim of the rural basic income is to improve the quality of life for residents in rural areas facing population decline and regional extinction crises, and to encourage a positive regional economic cycle by providing local gift certificates worth 150,000 won to residents every month.
Gyeonggi Province is uniquely supporting the project to ensure the stable implementation of the government initiative by allocating 714 million won (50% of necessary expenses) to Yeoncheon County for all-round operating costs, including personnel expenses for verifying residency and costs for building application, reception, and distribution systems.
Additionally, a “Happy Delivery Communication Wagon Operation” is being promoted in parallel to ensure the policy’s benefits reach even marginalized areas with few consumption opportunities. This project involves purchasing necessary items for residents in collaboration with local participating organizations and offering health and psychological counseling.
Gyeonggi Province plans to provide a one-stop service to residents by prioritizing Yeoncheon County for this initiative. Lee Moon-moo, Director of Agricultural Policy in Gyeonggi Province, stated, “As Gyeonggi Province’s social experiment has become a national standard, we will provide full administrative and financial support until the government initiative is firmly established. We will do our utmost to ensure the rural basic income serves as a catalyst for the guarantee of basic rights in rural areas and balanced regional development.”