Jeonbuk Province Recruiting Applicants for "2026 Horse Industry Promotion Support"

Applications Accepted Until August 29
"Revitalizing the Rural Economy"

Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province is accepting applications for the "2026 Horse Industry Promotion Support Project" until August 29.

According to the province on August 12, this horse industry promotion support project aims to revitalize the rural economy and improve the quality of life for local residents by fostering the horse industry within the province.

Jeonbuk Provincial Government Office view. Provided by Jeonbuk Province.

This recruitment targets four core projects designed to further strengthen Jeonbuk's horse industry infrastructure and enable all residents to enjoy a culture involving horses. The main projects include: support for student horseback riding experiences, promotion of rural tourism horseback riding, support for youth horseback riding teams, and strengthening support for riding horse training.

Horse breeders, riding facility operators, and agricultural corporations wishing to participate must submit an application form, a business plan, and relevant supporting documents to the livestock department of their city or county by August 29.

The submitted applications will be reviewed for feasibility by the city, county, and province, then recommended to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The final selection and announcement will be made at the end of next month after document and on-site evaluations by the review committee.

The horse industry is being actively promoted as an alternative source of income for rural areas, as it has high growth potential and added value in proportion to rising national income and improved living standards.

To date, the province has established two comprehensive plans for horse industry promotion, focusing on building infrastructure and nurturing farms. In particular, since being designated as a national horse industry special zone in 2018, the province has invested 15.2 billion KRW by 2025 to accelerate the creation of a "horseback riding-friendly environment" that attracts visitors.

Compared to 2018, when the special zone was designated, by 2024 the number of horseback riding facilities increased by 48% (to 34 locations), the number of horse breeding businesses increased by 46% (to 188 businesses), the number of horses bred increased by 13% (to 1,449 horses), and the regular horseback riding population grew by 80% (to 4,424 people), thereby contributing to the expansion of horseback riding and revitalization of the local economy.

Min Sunshik, Director of the Provincial Agricultural Life and Livestock Industry Bureau, said, "The horse industry is a complex industry encompassing production, experience, and tourism. In response to the increasing demand for horseback riding driven by economic growth, we will actively foster the industry to create high added value in rural areas."

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