Starting this second half of the year, the installation of heatwave and cold wave shelters in agricultural promotion areas will be possible. Restrictions on the area of agricultural and fisheries product processing and handling facilities will also be eased. The authority for land use permits will be delegated to local governments.
According to the government's publication 'Changes Starting from the Second Half of 2025,' the enforcement decree of the Agricultural Land Act, which includes the expansion of permitted activities and facility areas within agricultural promotion areas, has been in effect since the 2nd of last month.
Under the revised enforcement decree, the installation of heatwave and cold wave shelters within agricultural promotion areas will be permitted to ensure that farmers can conduct their agricultural activities safely.
Moreover, restrictions on the installation area of agricultural and fisheries product processing and handling facilities, tourist farms, and rural experience and leisure villages will also be eased. Agricultural and fisheries product processing and handling facilities, as well as tourist farms, can be installed on less than 3 hectares (ha, 1 ha = 10,000 m²), while rural experience and leisure villages can be installed on less than 2 ha.
The authority for land use permits in rural specialized districts will also be delegated to local governments. Rural specialized districts will be added to the areas and zones where land use authority for agricultural land is delegated to local governments, including public housing districts and urban development zones. If designated as rural specialized districts in accordance with the 'Law on the Restructuring and Support of Rural Spaces' after consultation with the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the authority for land use permits for agricultural land in those districts will be held entirely by the head of the local government, regardless of area.
A government official noted, 'The autonomy of local governments in land use for necessary facilities within rural specialized districts will expand, which could contribute to addressing population decline and revitalizing the region.'
The implementation requirements for the agricultural land utilization promotion project, for which exceptions for land leasing and entrusted management are permitted, have also been eased. Previously, to participate in the agricultural land utilization promotion project, a group of at least 10 individuals (organizations) consisting of farmers and agricultural corporations was required, but in the future, a group of 5 individuals (organizations) or an agricultural corporation acting alone will also be able to implement the project. A government official stated, 'This will contribute to the flexible and efficient use of agricultural land.'
It will also be allowed for vertical farms to settle in the 'National Food Cluster,' the only food-specialized national industrial complex in the country. A vertical farm refers to a facility that cultivates plants in multiple layers stacked within a building. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and related ministries, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, have established a legal basis for allowing vertical farms to be installed within industrial complexes.
A government official mentioned, 'With the linkage of food companies and vertical farms, high-quality raw materials are expected to be supplied stably,' adding, 'The synergy effect between agriculture and the food industry is anticipated.'