Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 11th that he would introduce a 'retirement pension system for farmers.' He also noted that he would expand the 'retirement subsidy program for farmland transfer' to assist elderly farmers in sustaining their lives after retirement from agricultural work.
On the same day, the candidate announced these pledges regarding the agriculture, forestry, and food sectors on Facebook. The candidate will first provide ▲ '1,000 won breakfast' for college students and workers and ▲ food vouchers for unemployed youth.
In particular, starting in 2023, the central government will resume support for the 'environmentally friendly agricultural product package for pregnant women' and the 'fruit snack program for elementary school students,' which had been discontinued. The candidate also pledged to gradually implement the 'complete labeling system for genetically modified organisms (GMO)' to ensure consumer rights to information and choice.
He also stated that he would re-pursue the amendment of the grain management law, which had been stalled three times in the National Assembly. The candidate said, 'By revising the grain management law, we will increase the cultivation of non-rice crops and stabilize the prices of rice and food crops,' while introducing ▲ expansion of public payments ▲ price stabilization system for agricultural products ▲ national responsibility system for disasters ▲ national support for essential agricultural materials ▲ and an allowance system for rural residents.
Earlier, the Democratic Party passed the first grain law amendment in the 21st National Assembly, but it was defeated and discarded in a re-vote in April 2023 due to former President Yoon Suk-yeol's veto. It was subsequently reintroduced, but it could not be presented in the plenary session due to the expiration of the National Assembly's session.
In the following 22nd National Assembly, the amendment, led by the Democratic Party, passed the threshold of the plenary session, but in December of last year, then-Acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo exercised veto power. Ultimately, the amended proposal returned to the National Assembly but was again defeated and discarded in the re-vote.
The candidate said he would expand solar power for farms and provide 'sunlight pensions,' while establishing community-led 'solar income villages.' The sunlight pension is a business model where renewable energy power plants are jointly operated at a local level and profits are distributed. The candidate also stated he would further develop 'stay-type complex facilities' in rural areas, saying, 'I will cultivate agriculture as a national strategic industry that leads balanced development and food security.'