Wanju County and Hwaseong Special City to Expand Local Food Cooperation

Establishing a Virtuous Cycle for Joint Urban and Rural Growth

Wanju County in North Jeolla Province is establishing a local food cooperation system with Hwaseong Special City, which has a population of 1 million, as it seeks to expand its presence in the Seoul metropolitan food market and lay the groundwork for mutually beneficial rural-urban partnerships.

Wanju County signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hwaseong Special City on the 9th at Hwaseong Special City Hall to promote local food 활성화 및 도농 상생발전을 위한 업무협약(MOU). Photo by Wanju County Office

Wanju County announced on July 9 that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hwaseong Special City at Hwaseong Special City Hall to promote local food and mutually beneficial rural-urban development.

This agreement aims to secure stable sales channels for local agricultural products while providing fresh and safe food to urban consumers. The two local governments plan to broaden their cooperation beyond agricultural product exchanges to include sharing local food policies, education, and the development of professional personnel in various areas.

Under the agreement, Wanju County will supply environmentally friendly, high-quality agricultural products produced in the region to Hwaseong Special City in a stable manner. Hwaseong Special City will also supply agricultural and marine products that are lacking in Wanju County, thereby contributing to increased income for farmers in both regions and stabilizing the supply and demand of agricultural products.

Wanju County is recognized as the first local government in the country to establish a direct local food store model, building a virtuous cycle for the local food system. Its policy of reducing distribution stages between producers and consumers has increased farmers’ incomes and supplied fresh agricultural products, becoming a benchmark for many local governments nationwide.

This agreement is significant as it combines Wanju County's production base and experience in operating local food initiatives with the market scale of Hwaseong Special City, a leading consumer city in the Seoul metropolitan area. It is expected not only to expand the consumer base for local agricultural products but also to serve as a sustainable, mutually beneficial model for joint urban and rural growth.

Hee-tae Yoo, the governor of Wanju County, stated, "This will provide Hwaseong Special City residents with fresh and safe local food from Wanju and secure stable sales channels for local farmers. We will strive to achieve tangible results in a range of areas, including local food and the Hometown Love Donation Program."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.