President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting Belgium, noted the need to permanently introduce a basic income program for rural communities and to raise the payment amount.
On the 9th (local time), Lee shared on his X account (formerly Twitter) a post saying that the population of Okcheon County in North Chungcheong Province showed a rebound thanks to the introduction of a basic income program for rural communities, saying, "Even though we introduced a basic income program for rural communities on a two-year trial basis, we are seeing this level of effect. If we introduce it permanently and raise the amount, wouldn't the effect be much greater?" He went on, "I would also like to hear your opinions," proposing a social discussion on expanding the basic income program for rural communities.
A basic income program for rural communities is a policy that regularly pays a set amount to rural areas where depopulation and aging are deepening, to encourage settlement and stabilize livelihoods.
Lee also stated his position on the funding issue, cited as a key point of contention in expanding the program. Lee explained, "Given that county-level budgets usually exceed 20 million won per person, it ultimately comes down to will and policy decisions—in other words, a matter of budget priorities."
In particular, he also floated the idea of using The Special Tax for Rural Development as a funding source. Lee said, "With the recent revitalization of the stock market, The Special Tax for Rural Development—which must be used for rural areas—has surged to the multi-trillion-won range," adding, "Instead of spending this budget as before on securing infrastructure such as farm roads and bridges, it could be used as funding for a basic income program for rural communities."
Lee also emphasized that a basic income program for rural communities can go beyond simple cash support to contribute to rural recovery and balanced development.
Lee added, "By doing this, if we confirm the basic income program for rural communities as an ongoing project and raise the basic income amount from 150,000 won to more than that, rural areas will revive, return-to-farm and return-to-fishery moves will increase, local extinction will be prevented, balanced national development will be achieved, problems such as skyrocketing home prices due to concentration in the greater Seoul area will be eased, and a happy old age will be ensured—producing multiple benefits at once."