President Lee Jae-myung and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryung have voiced a shared need to expand domestic agricultural subsidies via social media.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs today (July 18), Minister Song detailed the status of farm subsidies, which were discussed during a policy briefing on July 16, on her X account yesterday.
Minister Song stated that as of last year, the average agricultural subsidy per farm household in Korea was 5.19 million won, which is lower than the 25.8 million won in the European Union (as of 2023) and 9.67 million won in Japan (as of 2024).
Minister Song added that the ratio of subsidies to agricultural income for farm households in Korea stands at only 30.7%, which is also lower than that of the EU (49.4%) and Japan (62.7%).
She stated, "I will pay closer attention to the interest the President has shown in agriculture and rural areas, and I will do my utmost to alleviate the difficulties faced by our farmers."
In response, President Lee Jae-myung quoted Minister Song's post on X on the same day, emphasizing, "Agriculture is a vital strategic industry for national security." He added, "To protect food security and revitalize rural areas, agriculture, and farmers, we must increase agricultural subsidies."
He further stressed, "With the revitalization of the stock market, the special tax for rural development has surged, providing sufficient financial resources. While market opening is inevitable for an open trading nation to pioneer markets, it is also important to provide support to areas affected by such policies to ensure there are no actual losses."
In addition, President Lee left a message of encouragement, saying, "I am grateful to Minister Song and the officials at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for their hard work and for achieving significant results."