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Since Corona 19, more and more people are thinking of returning to farming and going home.

It's not easy to make that decision because it completely changes your life.

Recently, the government has decided to provide a program to live in rural areas for as long as half a year.



This is reporter Kim Deok-hyun.



<Reporter> Kim



Dal-hwan, 33, lives in Goheung, Jeollanam-do.



Until last summer, I ran a restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul.



After a year after opening, Kim decided to return to the village when his income fell sharply due to Corona 19.



Now I am learning farming at cherry farms.



[Kim Dal-hwan/Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do: You may not be able to pay the rent for next month or the money you have to pay.

Should I pay expensive money and live in such a crowded place…

.]



Hana Shim, who was designing shoes in Seoul, came down to Boseong, Jeollanam-do last year, and started a new life at a local dyeing craft museum.



[Hana Shim/Boseong-gun, Jeollanam-do: There were quite a lot of jobs looking for young manpower, and you can live a much more leisurely life than in the city...

.]



As a result of last year's Rural Economic Research Institute survey, 4 out of 10 urban residents answered that they are willing to return to farming or returning home.



It increased 6.8%p from the previous year.



Another reason is the increased burden of urban life, such as employment insecurity due to COVID-19.



As the demand for returning farms and villages increased, the government decided to introduce the'Rural Living' program starting this year.



The target is 89 cities and counties nationwide.



Starting this month, about 500 households are recruited, and selected people can live for up to 6 months free of charge in rural households that the government has connected to.



They get a temporary job where they can learn farming and receive a monthly training fee of 300,000 won.



In particular, the government expects that if the number of returning homes in their 30s and 40s increases, there will be considerable effects on the aging and population decline in rural areas.



(Video coverage: Park Hyeon-cheol, video editing: Lee Seung-hee, VJ: Shin So-young)