Gyeongsangnam-do Governor Park Wansoo Goes Apple Picking... Joins Rural Harvest Assistance Effort

Gyeongsangnam-do Governor Park Wan-soo visited fruit farms across the province in the midst of harvest season to help with the work.

On November 12, Governor Park visited two apple-growing farms in Songbaek-ri, Sannae-myeon, Milyang, and took part in the "2026 Fall Provincial Rural Workforce Assistance Program."

After receiving instructions from the farm owners on work methods and safety rules, Governor Park went around the orchards, picking apples himself and carrying baskets filled with apples.

After the work, he had lunch with farmers and representatives of participating organizations and heard about conditions in the field, including this year's apple crop and shipping conditions, efforts to secure harvest workers, and labor costs.

Gyeongnam Governor Park Wansu helps pick apples at an orchard in Songbaek-ri, Sannae-myeon, Miryang. [Photo provided by Gyeongsangnam-do]

Governor Park said, "As rural communities age, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find workers. This is especially true during harvest season, when farms inevitably face a greater burden if they cannot secure enough workers in time. It is important to help farmers harvest their crops on time after a year of hard work and ensure that their efforts translate into income."

He continued, "Rural workforce assistance must be provided in a timely manner to farms that genuinely need help. The provincial government, cities and counties, the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, and other relevant organizations will work together to strengthen the workforce support system. At the same time, we will carefully assess the extent of damage caused by fruit cracking in Milyang's main apple-growing areas and develop response measures with the relevant organizations."

He also urged, "I hope public institutions, businesses, universities, and volunteer groups will actively join efforts to help rural communities and support farms during the harvest season."

Participants in the "2026 Fall Provincewide Rural Labor Assistance" program pose for a group photo. [Photo courtesy of Gyeongsangnam-do]

About 140 people took part in the assistance effort that day, including officials from Gyeongsangnam-do and Milyang, provincial and city council members, the Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, the Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters of the Korea Rural Community Corporation, members of the Milyang City Women's Organizations Council and the Housewives' Association for Loving Our Hometown, and students from Gyeongsang National University.

To ease labor shortages during busy farming seasons, Gyeongsangnam-do connects farms with workers suited to their schedules and needs through 19 rural workforce brokerage centers across the province.

The province also supports public seasonal worker programs to improve working conditions and reduce the burden on farms. These programs help farms that need workers for short periods hire foreign seasonal workers and provide support to make their work more convenient.

From October 12 to November 27, the province is intensively carrying out its fall rural workforce assistance program. Through rural workforce assistance centers run by the provincial government, cities and counties, and the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, it connects farms that need workers with organizations and groups wishing to participate. Workers are given priority to farms run by older farmers and farms facing difficulties with agricultural work due to illness or injury.

The province plans to expand participation by relevant organizations and continue volunteer activities by university student rural workforce support teams and provincial government departments.

For tasks requiring skilled workers, the province plans to coordinate with existing workforce support systems, including rural workforce brokerage centers, to address labor shortages during busy farming seasons.

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