The Rural Basic Income Pilot Programme Seeks Demographic and Economic Turnaround

Sejong, 6 March 2026 — On 11 February, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) announced the guidelines for implementation of the rural basic income pilot programme, and notified selected local governments of the programme. Payment distribution to eligible recipients started on 26 February. 

Many of Korea’s rural communities are facing severe population decline. This project is designed to ensure residents have ready access to a basic income, thereby improving their quality of life and promoting balanced regional development. The influx of money will help to foster a virtuous cycle in local economies and invigorate the social and solidarity economy (SSE).  

In August 2025, the MAFRA selected the rural basic income pilot programme as a national policy task to urgently respond to collapsing populations in rural communities. From September 2025, a public call for applications for the pilot programme proceeded along with discussions on establishing a new social security system. The budget was approved in a plenary session of the National Assembly, and ten counties* were selected for the pilot programme.     

* The ten counties are as follows: Yeonjin (Gyeonggi), Jeongseon (Gangwon), Okcheon (Chungbuk), Cheongyang (Chungnam), Sunchang and Jangsu (Jeonbuk), Gokseong and Sinan (Jeonnam), Yeongyang (Gyeongbuk), and Namhae (Gyeongnam).

Residents of the ten selected counties will receive a basic income of KRW 150,000 in the form of local currency vouchers each month during the pilot period (2026–2027). The goal is to turn rural areas into an environment where more people are willing to stay. The rural basic income will induce greater consumption at the local level, revitalizing the local economy. More commercial establishments are also expected to open, thereby lessening the inconveniences of rural life. Accordingly, the basic income vouchers are to be spent within the eup (small town) or myeon (rural township) where the recipient resides.

However, each eup or myeon differs in terms of retail density and residents’ daily movement patterns. Thus, the local governments are allowed to broaden recipients’ local daily living areas beyond their own eup or myeon to alleviate inconvenience arising from a lack of participating merchants. In addition, the validity period for the basic income vouchers has been extended to six months for those who live in a myeon classified area (three months for eup residents).

Furthermore, myeon residents are permitted to spend their basic income vouchers in eup areas for businesses* typically found in the more urbanized setting. Usage limits** are set differently depending on the living area classification. A spending cap of KRW 50,000 has been imposed for gas stations, convenience stores, and Nonghyup Hanaro Mart, where the local circulation effect of the spending is relatively low or where concentrated spending is anticipated.

* e.g. hospitals, pharmacies, cinemas, private after-school institutes, and optician shops

** i.e. KRW 150,000 for the exclusive myeon classification; KRW 50,000 for the myeon + eup classification   

The implementation guidelines for this project also set out clear principles and standards regarding eligible recipients. The rural basic income will be provided to individuals who have registered their residence in the designated area and are actually living there. For those whose residence status is difficult to determine—such as individuals working in other regions or university students—a standard has been established requiring that they reside in the relevant area at least three days per week in order to be recognized as actual residents.

For example, employees working outside the pilot area may receive payments if they commute from the area or if it is confirmed that they reside in the area at least three days per week. University students enrolled in institutions outside the pilot area may receive payments only during vacation periods in which they reside in the area for at least three days per week.

Residents who moved into the pilot area after the designation date may receive payments retroactively for up to three months if their actual residence for 90 days or more is confirmed following their programme application. In addition, eup/myeon committees and local community investigation teams, consisting of the community heads and residents’ self-governing committee members, will be established to facilitate actual residence verification and enhance decision-making objectivity and efficiency. A reporting centre for fraudulent receipt of benefits will also be set up to support thorough post-management.

During the pilot period, the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences will organize a rural basic society research group to conduct systematic evaluations across the economic, social, and administrative sectors. The goal is to verify policy effectiveness objectively and implement evidence-based policymaking. Specifically, the group members will assess key outcomes such as improvements in residents’ quality of life, revitalization of local economies, and restoration of community populations. The direction of the full-scale programme will be based on the assessment results.

Minister Song Miryung of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs stated, “With the rural basic income pilot programme in place, we will make the utmost effort to ensure that rural areas grappling with declining populations can be revitalized and become rural communities where people want to return and reside.”