Gangwon Province Governor Woo Sang-ho and Hwacheon-gun Mayor Kim Se-hun presided Friday over a ceremony marking the first payout of the rural basic income program at the Hwacheon-eup Community Service Center and Hwacheon Traditional Market, with residents' representatives, market vendors and provincial lawmaker Park Dae-hyun in attendance.
Hwacheon-gun was selected this year by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs as an additional eligible district — the second in Gangwon Province after Jeongseon-gun. The rural basic income program distributes a set amount in local currency to residents of population-declining areas to improve living conditions and stimulate local economies. Hwacheon-gun residents will receive 150,000 won ($108) per person each month for two years.
At the event, officials held a card-presentation ceremony for residents' representatives to mark the first disbursement. Governor Woo personally handed out rural basic income cards to eligible residents and offered words of encouragement.
Local government leaders then walked with residents from the Hwacheon-eup Community Service Center to the traditional market to promote spending the rural basic income payments within the community.
As the event coincided with a market day at Hwacheon Traditional Market, participating vendors displayed stickers identifying their shops as affiliated merchants, and the first purchases using the rural basic income cards were made on the spot. Hwacheon-gun civil servants also joined in shopping at the market to help build momentum.
Kim Dong-sik, head of the agricultural policy division at Gangwon Province, said the first payout was "more than simple support — it is a starting point for breathing new vitality into the local economy." He added that the province would "continue to communicate closely on the ground to ensure the rural basic income in Hwacheon-gun translates into expanded local spending and delivers real help in revitalizing the local economy."
abc@heraldcorp.com
