Criticism of Strengthened Farm Shack Regulations... Government Says "Weekend Farms Will Be Made Convenient to Use"

The government’s move to improve related regulations to prevent violations such as using nongmak as country houses or villas is facing growing criticism. This is because the regulation restricts overnight stays unrelated to agriculture, targeting those who install nongmak simply to enjoy holidays without farming.

On the 13th, Park Su-jin, Director of Agricultural Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, explained, "Nongmak are temporary structures and unlike houses, they are not subject to fire safety standards under the Fire Services Act, making them vulnerable to fire and other safety accidents. The purpose of this system improvement is to restrict the use of nongmak for residential purposes unrelated to agricultural activities, while ensuring that city residents can use nongmak installed for weekend farms or farming experience purposes without inconvenience."

Nongmak are facilities installed for storing agricultural materials directly needed for farming, simple processing of harvested crops, or taking temporary rest during farm work (with a total floor area of 20㎡ or less), and are not intended for residential use. Because they are temporary structures not subject to fire safety standards, living in nongmak is vulnerable to fire and other safety accidents. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is also concerned that nongmak could be used as a means to evade the one household two houses rule.

In fact, in March this year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs conducted a joint inspection with local governments focusing on areas where nongmak have been increasingly installed. As a result, out of 252 nongmak inspected, 129 (51%) were illegally expanded for residential use or were illegally used as gardens or parking lots without proper farming.

Although current law prohibits using nongmak for residential purposes, the standards were unclear. The ministry plans to specify the criteria for illegal activities through amendments to the 'Enforcement Rules of the Farmland Act.'

However, the act of installing nongmak in rural areas to enjoy holidays is also prohibited. This has sparked criticism from some quarters. They argue that city dwellers visiting rural areas during holidays and spending there bring positive effects by revitalizing rural communities, and regulating this is excessive.

In response to such criticism, the government has decided to supplement the system. Director Park said, "It is appropriate to regulate cases where nongmak are used as residential complexes, distorting their original purpose, but we will actively collect related opinions to ensure that weekend farms and experience farms can be used without problems and improve the system accordingly."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.