Bonghwa County regional revitalization efforts

Bonghwa County has initiated several programs aimed at addressing regional decline and supporting local demographics.

Initially, the county launched the ‘Young Farmer Self-Reliance Foundation Support Project.’ This initiative provides subsidies of up to 100 million KRW to farmers aged 39 or younger to help establish stable incomes through agricultural production, processing, distribution, and rural tourism. The project focuses on introducing new technologies and reducing labor costs to cultivate next-generation agricultural leaders.

Following this, the county approved its second Basic Plan for Responding to Population Decline for the 2027–2031 period. This five-year roadmap seeks to increase the local population to 30,000 residents by prioritizing residency, employment, and repeat visits over simple infrastructure construction. The plan includes 19 action tasks and 59 projects, such as the ‘K-Vietnam Valley’ tourism hub, AI-driven transportation, and the ‘Bonghwa-style Sunlight Income Village,’ to leverage the region’s ecological and cultural resources.

Expanding its social welfare efforts, the county launched the ‘2026 Nutrition Filling Relief Care Service’ through a partnership with the Bonghwa Post Office and the Post Office Public Interest Foundation. This program utilizes postal workers to visit 50 elderly individuals, including those receiving integrated care or recently discharged from hospitals, twice a month. Postal workers deliver nutritional items like porridge and fruit sets while monitoring living conditions, aiming to establish a sustainable community-based safety net to address care gaps in rural areas.