Goheung-gun Selected as an Excellent Local Government at the 'Return to Farming and Rural Happiness Expo'

Published 17 Aug.2023 14:52(KST)

Return to Farming and Rural Living in Goheung Receives Great Response at Expo

Gohung-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Gong Young-min) participated in the 2023 Return-to-Farming and Rural Living Happiness Expo held at KINTEX in Goyang City for four days starting from the 11th, receiving great responses from visitors. The county was honored with an Excellence Award in recognition of its active participation in promotional activities for attracting return-to-farming and rural living among all participating local governments.

This expo was held simultaneously with the 8th Korea International Tourism Expo, hosted by Korea Exhibition Industry Co., Ltd., featuring over 400 booths from domestic and international tourism-related organizations and local governments nationwide. Visitors could obtain regional return-to-farming and rural living information, and an event was held where participants could receive seedlings of hot peppers and cherry tomatoes through on-site consultations.

[Photo by Goheung-gun]

In particular, Gohung-gun operated a consultation booth for return-to-farming and rural living, introducing urban residents hoping to return to farming to startup fund loan support projects and policies for experiencing life in Jeollanam-do and rural areas. Through one-on-one customized consultations for visitors considering relocation, various information was provided, helping prospective returnees resolve their concerns and questions.

Meanwhile, Gohung-gun, striving to support the successful settlement of returnees and attract urban residents to resolve the crisis of local extinction, offers various supports including the development of public land and rental housing by region, operation of the Return-to-Farming and Rural Living Happiness School, support for repair costs of farmhouses for returnees, and support for living infrastructure. Additionally, it is the first in the nation to hold ‘Visiting Return-to-Hometown and Rural Living Briefings’ targeting the baby boomer generation in the metropolitan area.

Furthermore, to ensure stable settlement and enable returnees to live according to their original purpose, a dedicated monitoring officer for post-management has been hired to provide special care for returnees.

A county official stated, “With Gohung-gun being selected for the 2024 Return-to-Fishing School establishment project, it is expected to gain momentum in building return-to-farming, fishing, and rural living infrastructure linked with the Happiness School.” He added, “We will continue to discover policies for return-to-farming, fishing, and rural living to promote the stable settlement of returnees and revitalize the region.”