More than 10,000 cases of non-compliance with statutory obligations under the basic public interest direct payment system—introduced to stabilize farmers' basic income—occur every year, Rep. Yoon Joon-byeong of the Democratic Party of Korea said today (September 26).

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to Rep. Yoon, a member of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, a total of 47,131 cases of subsidy cuts occurred between 2022 and last year due to failure to fulfill statutory compliance requirements, resulting in total reductions of 9.5793 billion won.

By violation type, failure in "maintaining the shape and function of farmland"—such as leaving land fallow or uncultivated—accounted for 23,922 cases, making up more than half (50.8%) of the total.

In addition, violations regarding the "completion of mandatory training on promoting public interest functions" surged 2.6 times over four years, rising from 2,703 cases in 2022 to 6,964 cases in 2025.

During the same period, 5,864 cases of intentional fraudulent claims were uncovered, totaling 5.874 billion won.

By year, the number of detected fraudulent claims increased by 88.6%, from 1,147 cases (926 million won) in 2022 to 2,163 cases (1.859 billion won) last year, with the total fraudulent amount more than doubling.

Meanwhile, the recovery rate for fraudulently claimed subsidies and penalty surcharges dropped from 91.4% to 86.6% over the same period.

"Ignoring basic mandatory training and having more than 10,000 violations arise every year shakes the very foundation of the direct payment system," Rep. Yoon emphasized. "We must strengthen tailored support so elderly farmers are not penalized due to unfamiliarity with the system, while strictly applying a zero-tolerance policy, including full clawbacks, against habitual fraud."

(Photo: Yonhap News)