President Lee Visits North Gyeongsang: "Expand Basic Income for Rural and Fishing Communities to More Regions" (Roundup)

President Lee Jae Myung visited Cheongsong and Yeongyang in North Gyeongsang Province on October 31, both pilot areas for the basic income program for rural and fishing communities. He called the program a key policy for addressing the risk of regional depopulation and expressed his resolve to expand it.

President Lee Jaemyung greets residents during a visit to Yeongyang Traditional Market in Yeongyang, North Gyeongsang Province, on the 31st. Yonhap News Agency

At a meeting with residents held at the village hall in Yeondang 1-ri, Yeongyang County, President Lee said, "I had a dream that if the basic income for rural and fishing communities became stable and grew just a little in scale, all of South Korea could become a 'livable place.'" He added, "Considering balanced regional development in South Korea, preventing the decline of rural and fishing communities, and allowing people to live with more ease, I believe this is a highly useful program that deserves to be among our top priorities."

He also identified ensuring the program's stable operation as a challenge. "I was involved in designing and creating the basic income program for rural and fishing communities, but it lacks stability because it has become a subject of political debate," President Lee said. "It could be abolished at any time, and conclusions may vary depending on who makes the decision. So, securing stability through effective operation is a major challenge."

He also stressed the need to restrict where the basic income can be spent. "It has to be spent within the county, and it also has to be spent in the neighborhood where people live to prevent spending from concentrating in town centers," he said, describing it as "a system that is effective precisely because it is inconvenient." He added, "The more convenient we make card payments, the less effective this system becomes. It needs to be inconvenient to last and be more efficient."

He proposed renewable energy projects as a way to secure funding. Referring to Yeongyang County's local characteristics, including the nation's largest wind farm, President Lee said he envisioned using shared revenues from renewable energy projects, such as solar power, to fund the basic income.

Earlier, President Lee visited Jinbo Traditional Market in Cheongsong County to inspect local businesses and had a luncheon meeting with small-business owners and residents. When attendees said the burden on local government finances should be reduced, he replied, "I will pay more attention to the financial aspects to ensure the program can be operated more stably."

After the visit, President Lee wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "I confirmed that the basic income is helping household finances and bringing vitality to local businesses." He added, "I will expand the basic income for rural and fishing communities to more areas and bring about these changes."

The basic income program for rural and fishing communities provides residents of areas facing population decline with 150,000 won per month in local gift certificates. It is currently being piloted in 17 counties nationwide, while Cheongsong and Yeongyang provide 200,000 won per resident per month by adding funding from their own county budgets. The government plans to expand the pilot program to 35 counties next year.

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