The government is promoting the establishment of a rural complex where urban residents can easily access agricultural experience activities. It will also establish a vacant house bank project to address the issue of empty houses that detract from the rural landscape. Additionally, it plans to expand rural healthcare facilities and personnel.
On the 25th, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs reported on the 'Current Status of Rural Extinction Response Strategy' at the government policy meeting chaired by Acting President Choi Sang-mok, who is also the Minister of Strategy and Finance.
Currently, rural areas are facing severe aging, and a steep population decline is projected in the future. The government's plan is to utilize new opportunities in rural areas, such as startups and work-cations, to respond to the extinction crisis.
Currently, the government is implementing policies to support the relaxation of location regulations and the expansion of rural startups to invigorate rural job creation. It is improving farmland regulations to allow the establishment of vertical farms on farmland and promoting an agricultural innovation belt linked to related upstream and downstream businesses.
The government plans to increase the resident population through measures such as the introduction of 'stay-type rest areas' to encourage the influx of people into rural areas.
First of all, regarding the stay-type rest area planned for last year, the establishment of large-scale complex facilities will be promoted. The idea is to allow individuals to introduce stay-type rest areas for weekend agricultural experiences, extending further to create complexes linked to large-scale gardens and residential/exchange spaces. The government is set to select business operators next month and will start basic plan consulting from May.
The government is also promoting a 'vacant house bank' to address the issue of empty houses in rural areas. The vacant house bank will collect basic data on empty houses through surveys and enable transactions by listing them on a portal platform. This year, the budget for vacant house regeneration and the vacant house bank is set at about 740 million won. In addition, a separate rural vacant house regeneration project led by local governments will be pursued.
The expansion of medical facilities, which are essential for the aging rural areas, is also being pursued. The government will improve rural medical facilities through projects such as reinforcing regional public hospital facilities. Rural medical services, including home visit treatments and specialized health examinations for female farmers, will also be expanded.
The creation of a self-regulatory innovation district utilizing rural resources is also being promoted. Once designated as a self-regulatory innovation district, regulations related to land ownership, leasing, and utilization will be significantly relaxed. For instance, non-farmers will be allowed to acquire farmland, and immediate leasing after acquiring farmland will also be permitted. Procedures for installing facilities that can be set up on farmland will be streamlined for exclusive reporting.
A representative from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs noted, 'We aim to establish a special law for the systematic maintenance and utilization of rural vacant houses this year,' adding, 'We will ensure the implementation of each detailed task, including newly introduced projects, without any issues.'