County departments to collaborate on securing funding and developing measures to link basic income payments to local economic revitalization
Haenam-gun is stepping up preparations to join the government's rural basic income pilot program in 2027, in line with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' plan to expand the scheme.
According to Haenam-gun, the ministry has included in the government's budget proposal a plan to expand the rural basic income pilot next year from 17 counties to 35, while raising the central government's funding share from 40 percent to 50 percent to ease the fiscal burden on local governments.
In response, Haenam-gun said it will closely review and refine its existing project plan and proactively prepare the requirements needed to apply for the program.
The county plans to work with the county council to enact a rural basic income ordinance, establishing the legal foundation for the program. It will also build a cross-departmental collaboration framework covering budget, local economy, small business and renewable energy divisions to comprehensively examine everything from project planning and funding to local economic revitalization measures.
Haenam-gun is particularly focused on securing local government funding to ensure stable program implementation. The county plans to free up fiscal capacity through expenditure restructuring — including reprioritizing projects and consolidating overlapping or similar programs — while conducting a comprehensive analysis of existing operations and financial conditions to develop a sustainable local funding strategy.
The county is also working to ensure that the basic income payments do more than provide direct cash transfers, aiming instead to create a virtuous cycle in which spending and income flow back into the local economy. Relevant departments are reviewing ways to amplify economic benefits, including boosting consumption within the county and increasing sales for small businesses.
In addition, the county plans to explore using revenue from power generation drawn from Haenam-gun's abundant renewable energy resources as a funding source for the basic income program.
"As soon as the government finalizes the detailed application guidelines, we will carefully examine the direction and evaluation criteria, address any shortcomings, and put together a project plan suited to Haenam-gun's conditions so we can actively pursue participation in the 2027 pilot," a county official said.
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