Gangwon Yeongwol-gun, 2025 Application Open for Returning Farmers and Rural Migrants Support Program

Published 14 Jan.2025 09:47(KST)

Long-Term Low-Interest Loans for Agricultural Start-Ups and Home Purchases Available Until February 10

Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Choi Myeong-seo) announced on the 14th that it is accepting applications for the 2025 Return-to-Farming and Return-to-Village Support Project. The project targets returnees to farming and rural areas who have moved in within the last five years to help them adapt early and settle stably in rural areas. The support projects include various programs such as agricultural start-up and house purchase support for returnees, farming settlement support, moving cost support, residential environment improvement cost support, house construction design fee support, and regional win-win job support projects.

A view of Yeongwol County Office, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province. Photo by Yeongwol County Office

The agricultural start-up and house purchase support project is a loan program designed to alleviate housing burdens in the early stages of returning to farming and to support stable agricultural start-ups. Applicants can choose between a fixed interest rate (2.0% per annum) or a variable interest rate, with a repayment plan of 5 years grace period followed by 10 years of equal principal payments. Applications are accepted until February 10.

This year, Yeongwol-gun is newly promoting projects for returnees, including moving cost support upon relocation (up to 700,000 KRW), residential environment improvement cost support (up to 3 million KRW), and design fee support for new house construction (up to 2 million KRW). Additionally, a rural field job provision project is separately promoted to address labor shortages during the farming season and to foster coexistence with local residents.

Returnees wishing to apply for the projects can visit the Agricultural Technology Center’s Resource Development Division and the Return-to-Farming and Return-to-Village Team to submit their applications. For more details, inquiries can be made to the Return-to-Farming and Return-to-Village Team.

From 2019 to 2023, the number of returnees to farming who moved in was 345, with about 70 people returning to farming in Yeongwol-gun each year.

Um Hae-sun, head of the Resource Development Division of Yeongwol-gun, said, “We are actively attracting returnees to farming and rural areas by providing various information and customized counseling for urban residents planning a second life in rural areas,” and added, “We will promote publicity activities, infrastructure establishment for the stable settlement of returnees, and various support projects.”