Suncheon-si Signs Rural Agreement with Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Published 26 Apr.2023 16:29(KST)

Total Investment of 56.3 Billion Won Including 29.4 Billion Won in National Funds

Suncheon City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Noh Gwan-gyu) announced on the 26th that it attended the ‘2023 Rural Agreement Ceremony’ held at the Government Sejong Convention Center and signed a rural agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The ‘Rural Agreement’ is a system in which local governments and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs establish a policy cooperation governance through an agreement to achieve policy goals such as improving rural living conditions, revitalizing the rural economy, and activating local communities. The central and local governments jointly invest in regional development plans established by local governments to achieve common policy objectives.

[Photo by Suncheon City]

Since last year, the city has formed the Rural Agreement Committee, Administrative Council, Living Area Promotion Committee, and intermediary support organization (Rural Revitalization Support Center), and established a rural spatial strategic plan (2023?2040) and rural living area revitalization plan (2023?2027) reflecting opinions from rural residents and experts in various fields.

Selected as a rural agreement target in June last year, the city finalized the agreement through consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. From 2023, a total project cost of 56.3 billion KRW, including 29.4 billion KRW in national funds, will be invested over five years.

Focusing on seven towns and townships in the western living area (Seungju-eup, Juam-myeon, Songgwang-myeon, Oeseo-myeon, Nagan-myeon, Byeollyang-myeon, and Sangsa-myeon), the plan is to expand living SOC facilities and establish various living service delivery systems such as culture, welfare, and sports to improve rural living conditions and activate local communities, thereby promoting sustainable rural development.

Various rural revitalization projects will be promoted, including the Basic Living Hub Creation Project to improve living services in town and township centers, Village Making Projects to improve living conditions in surrounding villages, Vulnerable Area Living Condition Renovation Projects, and City/County Capacity Building Projects.

Mayor Noh Gwan-gyu of Suncheon emphasized, “Through this rural agreement, we will inject new vitality throughout Suncheon City and create rural spaces where people want to live,” and added that it is expected to contribute to balanced development between urban and rural areas, including the improvement of living conditions in rural areas.