President Lee Jae-myung said on the 6th that converting farmland for solar power projects appears to generate "fairly high returns," calling for active review of the idea. At the same time, he emphasized plans to expand the income safety net for farming and fishing communities, moving to ease discontent among farmers stirred by a nationwide farmland inspection.
Lee made the remarks after receiving a report on the farmland inspection at a Cabinet meeting he presided over at the Blue House that day, saying, "This seems to be the opportunity." He pointed out that a large amount of farmland now lies fallow and that farming alone leaves little margin once expenses are weighed against income.
"If you convert farmland and run a solar project, the income is several times that of ordinary farming," he said. "So why isn't this working well? Quite a few people tell me they are trying to get permits but can't." He offered an example, saying equipment costs could be covered through funds or investment, or by borrowing project capital, and that landowners could be given a set share of the revenue.
He also called for the government to "build a solid foundation so people can return to farming and fishing communities, and to create systems that handle permits in a single package or provide facility funding." Reiterating the need for solar power, he said South Korea has to move toward becoming an electricity-driven country, with renewable energy at the core, and that solar is bound to be the centerpiece.
Lee devoted a substantial portion of his opening remarks that day to his commitment to expanding the rural income safety net. "The agricultural and fishing community cooperation fund has accumulated about 325.5 billion won so far, which is not enough," he said. "We will first put 200 billion won into next year's budget and add 500 billion won going forward, aiming to build up more than 1 trillion won."
He went on to say that while the government created various mechanisms to compensate farmers for damage when it signed free trade agreements, those mechanisms have not worked properly, leaving farmers and fishers with deep distrust of the government. "I hope people will not think of income support for farming and fishing communities as handouts or a waste of public money," he said. The remarks are seen as an effort to contain negative public sentiment through active support for rural communities, amid continuing pushback from farmers since the government announced the farmland inspection.
Separately, Lee received a report from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on measures to stamp out ticket scalping, saying such practices become entrenched ills if left to accumulate. He also called for heightened vigilance over conduct such as stock price manipulation that ruins families. On the Gwanghwamun gate signboard, which bears Chinese characters, he said he would like to see Korean script added alongside them and that a conclusion should be reached by next year after gathering public opinion.
