A novel approach by South Korea to stop its rural areas from dying by paying people to live there appears to be working.
Okcheon in North Chungcheong province saw its population grow by almost 1,000 in just over two weeks since it became a participant in the state-backed programme earlier this month, according to The Korea Herald newspaper.
The farming community was officially designated a “population decline area” in 2021. By the following year, its population fell to below the 50,000 threshold, making it a top contender for the “rural basic income” programme.
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Nine other communities were selected, including Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi province, Chungseon in Gangwon province and Namhae in South Gyeongsang province.
Under the scheme, residents will receive 150,000 won (US$104) in local vouchers per month for two years. No proof of employment is necessary.
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For a four-person household, the benefit will total 14.4 million won over two years – a significant sum given that annual income in farming communities has stagnated at about 10 million won for the past 30 years, according to a 2023 paper by the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation.