Going forward, if the spouse of a farm operator works in farming for at least 90 days a year and has concurrent earned income of less than 20 million won a year, the person will be able to maintain farmer status even while employed.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said on the 29th it will implement a revised version of the farmer certificate issuance rules that includes these measures. Under the change, even if a spouse is temporarily employed and becomes a workplace subscriber to the National Health Insurance or the National Pension, the person can be recognized as a farmer if certain conditions are met. The effective date is the 30th.
Although many have supplemented their income through short-term jobs during the off-season, the spouse of a farm operator was not recognized as a farmer when employed, creating a problem of being excluded from various support programs.
Reflecting these on-the-ground difficulties, the government fine-tuned the system and, to prevent abuse of qualifications, set both the farming engagement period and the earned income threshold.
To verify farmer status and register a farm business entity, applicants must submit a certificate of National Health Insurance premium payment, a certificate of National Health Insurance eligibility and coverage history, a farming activity verification letter, and other documents to a branch or local office of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service. Final recognition is decided after an income review and on-site inspection.
The ministry plans to operate response teams for civil petitions at the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service and local offices in line with the system's implementation.
Minister Song Mi-ryung said, "This is a system improvement that reflects the needs on the rural front lines," adding, "We will continue working to enhance farmers' rights and interests."