Starting Next Year, Incheon City to Cover 70% of Public Subsidies for Incheon Farmers and Fishermen

Incheon City will provide a public interest allowance to farmers and fishermen starting next year.

The city announced on the 31st that it plans to pay an annual public interest allowance of 600,000 KRW in cash or local gift certificates to about 16,000 farmers and fishermen who receive the basic public direct payment. The budget for the public interest allowance will be shared with the city covering 70% and the counties and districts covering 30%.

The public interest allowance for farmers and fishermen is a system in which local governments provide public allowances to stabilize the livelihoods of farmers and fishermen and create a sustainable agricultural and fishery environment. Although the ordinance for the payment of the public interest allowance was enacted in Incheon in 2021, it has been continuously delayed due to disagreements between the city and the counties and districts over the payment targets, amounts, and funding shares.

The city proposed an annual payment of 600,000 KRW with a 50% share each for the city and the counties and districts, but the counties and districts demanded an increase in the amount and a higher share of the city's contribution. In particular, Ganghwa-gun, which has the largest number of recipients, insisted on an annual payment of 1,200,000 KRW with the city covering 70% and the county 30%, causing conflict with the city.

The Democratic Party of Korea's Jung-gu, Ganghwa-gun, and Ongjin-gun Regional Committee and the Ganghwa Future Development Movement Headquarters held a press conference on August 17 in front of Ganghwa-gun Office in Incheon, urging the payment of public interest allowances for farmers and fishermen. 2023.8.17
[Photo by Democratic Party of Korea Jung-gu, Ganghwa-gun, Ongjin-gun Regional Committee]

Accordingly, in June, the city reached an agreement with six counties and districts including Ongjin-gun on the amount of the public interest allowance (600,000 KRW paid once annually) and the funding share (50% each for the city and the counties and districts), and submitted an application for consultation on the establishment of this social security system to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. However, recently, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok and Ganghwa-gun Governor Yoo Cheon-ho met and agreed on the payment amount (600,000 KRW annually) and budget sharing ratio (city 70%, county 30%), deciding to apply this uniformly to all 10 counties and districts.

The city plans to revise and resubmit the application for consultation on the establishment of the social security system to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, amend the 'Incheon City Public Interest Allowance Payment Ordinance for Farmers and Fishermen' to change the payment targets, and start paying the public interest allowance from next year.

An official from Incheon City stated, "Despite difficulties such as population decline, aging, rising agricultural and fishery management costs, and changes in consumers' dietary habits leading to decreased income for farming and fishing households, the payment of the public interest allowance is necessary to maintain the public values of agriculture and fisheries, including environmental conservation, food security, inheritance of traditional culture, and maintenance of local community."

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