Gangwon's 'Sunshine Income Villages' turn solar fields into lifetime pensions — and draw a top ministry official to the scene

Gangwon Province's "Sunshine Income Village" program distributes renewable energy generation revenue to residents as a lifetime pension, offering what officials describe as a groundbreaking welfare model to help rural communities fight depopulation.

This year, the Gangwon-style Sunshine Income Village project is set to cover 27 villages across six cities and counties in the province — Chuncheon, Wonju, Hoengseong-gun, Cheorwon, Inje and Goseong.

The project combines the installation of 25-megawatt resident-led solar generation facilities, worth 37.6 billion won (about $24.3 million), with a subsidized program to install 63-megawatt-hour large-capacity energy storage systems worth 25.2 billion won, designed to address grid saturation.

In the first application round, which closed May 31, four villages across three cities and counties — Chuncheon, Hoengseong-gun and Goseong — submitted applications. A second round covering 23 villages in five cities and counties — Chuncheon, Wonju, Hoengseong-gun, Cheorwon and Inje — is open through July 31.

Kim Min-jae, vice minister of the Ministry of Interior and Safety, visited the Sunshine Income Village preparation site in Hadae-ri, Hoengseong-gun on Monday.

Residents met with Vice Minister Kim, Gangwon Province Deputy Governor Yeo Jung-hyeop, officials from Korea Electric Power Corp.'s Gangwon regional office, and working-level staff from the Gangwon provincial government and Hoengseong-gun to brief them on the project's progress and flag issues requiring action. Discussions centered on alternatives for grid interconnection amid insufficient grid capacity, with both central and local government representatives agreeing to work toward solutions.

The visit to Hadae-ri was intended to encourage Hoengseong-gun's on-the-ground efforts to link energy sovereignty with the expansion of renewable energy.

Vice Minister Kim said addressing regional depopulation "goes beyond simple support — it is a national survival strategy for the Republic of Korea to endure," and described Hadae-ri residents as "the driving force behind a new model of energy welfare, in which community members become the agents of energy production and directly enjoy its rewards." He directed related ministries to promptly review and act on the concerns raised at the site.

Shim Won-seop, director of Gangwon Province's industry bureau, said the province would "fully resolve remaining issues — including grid interconnection with KEPCO — to meet the passionate demand confirmed in our survey, and complete the most exemplary resident-led, energy self-sufficient village in the country."