Forest Service Expands Forestry Direct Payment Budget This Year, Providing an Average of 2.4 Million KRW per Person

The Korea Forest Service announced on the 2nd that with the expansion of this year's forestry direct payment budget, about 21,000 forestry workers are expected to receive an average of 2.4 million KRW per person.

This year's forestry direct payment budget totals 54.4 billion KRW, an increase of 7.6 billion KRW (16.3%) compared to last year. This increase reflects the expansion of eligible forest area by 4,508 hectares and the rise in the unit price of direct payments for small-scale forestry households from 1.2 million KRW to 1.3 million KRW per household.

The forestry direct payment system was introduced in 2022 to promote the public functions of forestry and forests and to compensate for the low income of forestry workers. Payments are made to forestry workers operating in eligible forest areas and organizations that meet the qualifications of agricultural corporations.

This year, applications for forestry direct payments are expected to open from April 1. Forestry workers wishing to apply should prepare the registration form and documents proving eligibility in advance and submit them to the local town, township, or neighborhood office where the forest area is located within the application period.

Lee Hong-dae, head of the Forestry Direct Payment Team at the Korea Forest Service, said, “From this year, applications for the forestry direct payment system will be possible through the online integrated management system (Forestry-in Portal). We hope that forestry workers who qualify for direct payments will be able to receive the benefits without omission through online or in-person applications.”

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