The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that, following the implementation of the “Rural Space Restructuring and Regeneration Support Act,” five cities and counties — Dangjin, Naju, Sunchang, Buyeo, and Shinan — have finalized their “Rural Space Restructuring and Regeneration Basic Plans (2025–2034).” This marks the first pilot project that reflects diverse regional characteristics such as urban, rural, and fishing village types, and sets a blueprint for restructuring rural spaces that will eventually expand to over 110 cities and counties nationwide starting next year.
Last year, the Ministry selected these five cities and counties as pilot regions to present examples of rural space basic plans, supporting them in formulating plans through expert consultations. The cities were chosen based on their distinctive features: Dangjin and Naju with urban characteristics, Shinan as a fishing area, Sunchang representing a typical rural area, and Buyeo with its historical and cultural assets, so that other cities and counties could use them as references.
Dangjin aims to create a “rural urban-suburban area Dangjin,” focusing on developing Songak-eup and Songsan-myeon in the northern region as innovation hubs for renewable energy and future industries, while nurturing the Godae-myeon area into an agricultural and livestock industry base linked with smart ICT livestock complexes, promoting balanced development across the city and county.
Naju envisions becoming a “city where rural life and urban conveniences co-exist,” aiming to disperse developmental pressure concentrated in the northeastern innovation city by designating specialized rural districts in the east, west, and south areas. The city plans to boost agricultural product consumption and residents’ income through integration of local specialty crops like Naju pears, Cheongyang peppers, and melons, while improving residential environments by relocating and centralizing scattered livestock facilities, factories, and warehouses.
Buyeo plans to reconfigure its service supply system to link cultural heritage-rich Buyeo-eup with Gyuram-myeon, while relaxing development restrictions in Buyeo-eup to bolster its tourism hub function. Additionally, it aims to strengthen its agricultural industry by building a mushroom cultivation ecosystem in Seongseong-myeon, which is the top producer of button mushrooms nationwide.
Sunchang aims to expand living services in northwestern regions such as Bokheung, Ssangchi, and Gurim-myeon, which are distant from Sunchang-eup, making service access difficult. The county will also select 46 candidate sites for specialized rural districts to develop growth plans suitable for local conditions and enhance its specialized industries like traditional Korean sauces and healing tourism.
Shinan, reflecting the characteristics of fishing villages, aims to become an “eco-smart Shinan where people, nature, and economy are sustainable,” by expanding gardening projects utilizing each island’s unique natural landscapes and heritage, and developing a rural stay-type integrated tourism belt by utilizing vacant houses and abandoned facilities.
Currently, over 110 cities and counties are in the process of establishing rural space basic plans with support from central (four) and regional agencies (nine) and experts. The Ministry plans to ensure all cities and counties promptly establish rural space basic plans by next year.
Park Seong-woo, director of the Rural Policy Bureau of the Ministry, explained that these basic plans are long-term strategic plans developed by cities and counties in collaboration with residents, containing various examples reflecting regional characteristics. He added that the examples from the five pilot regions will serve as good references for others and will form the foundation of the Ministry’s “Happiness for All Rural Project.” Park also emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to support the smooth establishment of basic plans by incorporating residents’ feedback through active consultation support.