Jeonnam-Gwangju Seo-gu Council Cites Seochang-dong Case... Calls for Improvements to Rural Basic Income Support

Calls to Include “Dong” Areas with Rural Conditions and Designate Them as Rural Areas

Calls have emerged from the Seo-gu Council of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City to address the exclusion from rural basic income support of residents living in rural conditions simply because their administrative district is classified as a “dong.”

At the first plenary session of its 344th extraordinary session on October 16, the Seo-gu Council adopted a resolution urging the expansion of rural basic income support to dong-level areas and an increase in the share of funding provided by the national government. The resolution was sponsored by Council Member Oh Jieun, who represents Sangmu 2-dong, Seochang-dong, and Geumho 1-dong and 2-dong.

Members of the Seo-gu Council of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City announce a resolution urging action. Courtesy of the Seo-gu Council.

The council cited Seochang-dong as an example of a rural dong-level area excluded from the program. The rural basic income program targets county, eup, and myeon areas, meaning residents whose administrative district is classified as a “dong” cannot receive support even when they live in conditions typical of farming and rural communities.

The resolution calls for expanding eligibility for rural basic income support to dong-level areas and designating rural dong-level areas as rural areas in consideration of their living conditions. It also calls for increasing the national government’s share of funding to reduce the financial burden on local governments.

“Rural basic income is a presidential campaign pledge,” Council Member Oh said. “The relevant system must be improved promptly so the policy can achieve its objectives.”

Meanwhile, the rural basic income pilot program provides rural residents with local currency.

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