129 villages across South Korea apply for first 'Sunshine Income Village' call

A total of 129 villages across 61 cities and counties in 11 provinces and metropolitan cities applied for the first round of the 2026 Sunshine Income Village designation, the Ministry of Interior and Safety announced Sunday.

The Sunshine Income Village project aims to return profits from community-led solar power ventures to local residents and village communities, contributing to regional economic revitalization.

The first open call was designed to identify villages with a high level of readiness — including resident participation, secured sites and financing — needed to advance the project.

The ministry plans to select villages with the strongest commercialization potential first, generate early success stories and use them as a foundation for expanding the initiative nationwide.

Applications from the first round will be reviewed by an evaluation committee composed of experts in social solidarity economy, village communities, renewable energy, law and local administration. Villages selected in the final round will be notified through their local governments by July 31.

Villages not selected in this round will also receive consulting to help address any shortcomings, and the ministry said it will support them in reapplying in future rounds.

"Despite the short application window, 129 villages from across the country demonstrated strong interest and willingness to participate in resident-led renewable energy projects," Minister of Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung said. "The ministry will do its utmost to ensure that the Sunshine Income Villages selected in this first round become successful models for nationwide expansion, so that our goal of establishing 3,000 Sunshine Income Villages can be achieved ahead of schedule."