The Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City is moving to create a sustainable rural living environment and enhance regional vitality, building on the nation's largest number of successful bids in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' "2027 General Agricultural and Fishing Village Development Project." Seven of the 15 districts selected nationwide — the most of any region — came from the city, giving momentum to the expansion of rural living social overhead capital (SOC).
According to the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City on Wednesday, the General Agricultural and Fishing Village Development Project is a flagship rural living SOC program aimed at expanding the foundation for basic living services in rural areas — including culture, welfare, care and leisure — and improving residents' settlement conditions and quality of life by linking central areas with surrounding villages.
In this bid, Gwansan-eup in Jangheung was selected for the Rural Central Area Revitalization Project, while six districts were selected for the Basic Living Base Development Project: Hwangjeon-myeon and Woldeung-myeon in Suncheon, Jukgok-myeon and Moksadong-myeon in Gokseong, Mongtan-myeon in Muan, and Sonbul-myeon in Hampyeong.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to provide differentiated support over five years starting in 2027, with up to 15 billion won per district for the Rural Central Area Revitalization Project, up to 6 billion won for Phase 1 and up to 2 billion won for Phase 2 of the Basic Living Base Development Project.
Gwansan-eup in Jangheung, the only district nationwide selected for the Rural Central Area Revitalization Project, will build a culture, welfare and administration center that integrates a community service center with cultural and welfare facilities, in order to address a high aging rate (49.5%) and a lack of basic infrastructure.
Hwangjeon-myeon and Woldeung-myeon in Suncheon, Jukgok-myeon in Gokseong, and Sonbul-myeon in Hampyeong, selected for Phase 1 of the Basic Living Base Development Project, will build living SOC complex centers tailored to local conditions and operate specialized programs. Moksadong-myeon in Gokseong and Mongtan-myeon in Muan, selected for Phase 2, plan to establish a living service delivery system centered on surrounding villages to strengthen services that residents can directly experience.
"By closely analyzing local conditions and faithfully reflecting residents' opinions, we achieved meaningful results in this bid," said Kim Hyun-mi, head of the Agricultural Policy Division of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City. "We will do our best to expand living services that rural residents can feel and to create a rural space where people want to live."
