Gwangju Begins Providing 600,000 Won Public Interest Allowance to 8,459 Farming Households

Visit the Administrative Welfare Center by May 29 to Receive Allowance...

Must Be Used by Year-End

To Be Revised as the Integrated Metropolitan City Farmers and Fishers' Allowance in 2027

Gwangju City has begun providing the Farmers' Public Interest Allowance, offering 600,000 won per year to 8,459 local farming households to support the stability of their management. The allowance can be collected as a prepaid card at the administrative welfare center corresponding to the recipient's address from April 27 to May 29. Starting this year, the usage period is limited to the end of the year, meaning the funds must be used within that timeframe. From next year, with the establishment of the Integrated Metropolitan City of Jeonnam-Gwangju, the program will be unified and distributed as the 'Farmers and Fishers' Public Interest Allowance.'

Gwangju City announced that it would distribute the "2026 Farmers' Public Interest Allowance" in order to preserve the public value of agriculture and support the management stability of farming households.

Front and back views of the Gwangju Prepaid Card used for the Gwangju Metropolitan City Farmer Public Interest Allowance payment in 2026. Provided by Gwangju City

The allowance is provided as a Gwangju prepaid card, with 600,000 won per household per year. Eligible recipients can receive their allowance by bringing their ID to the administrative welfare center corresponding to their registered address.

The recipients include managers of farming businesses or livestock/insect farming operations who, as of January 1 of last year, have continuously maintained both their address and agricultural management information in Gwangju City, have been actively engaged in agriculture, and received the basic direct payment for the previous year.

The card must be used by December 31 of this year. Any unused balance after the deadline will be reclaimed. Gwangju City explained that the usage period was shortened compared to previous years in order to revitalize the local economy and improve the efficiency of managing unused balances.

The Farmers' Public Interest Allowance is one of the "three major public value allowances," a core pledge of the 8th popularly elected administration, and Gwangju City was the first among metropolitan cities to introduce the program in 2023. By this year, the city has provided a total of 19.41 billion won to a cumulative 32,352 farming households.

Gwangju City plans to integrate the program as the "Jeonnam-Gwangju Metropolitan City Farmers and Fishers' Public Interest Allowance" starting next year, following the reorganization of the system after the launch of the Integrated Metropolitan City of Jeonnam-Gwangju on July 1.

Bae Gwisuk, Director of the Agriculture and Animal Policy Division of Gwangju City, said, "There have been opinions from farmers in the field regarding differences in payment amounts and eligibility criteria between Jeonnam and Gwangju. After the launch of the Integrated Metropolitan City, we will revise the standards to further support the management stability of local farms and the revitalization of the regional economy."

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