A farmer picks strawberries at a farm in Nonsan, 213 kilometers south of Seoul, on Dec. 9, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 3 (Korea Bizwire) — A majority of households that left the city to live in the countryside are satisfied with their decision, a survey showed Thursday.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs conducted a survey of 6,000 households that moved to the countryside between 2017 and 2021.
The results showed that 67.2 percent of all households engaged in farming or livestock businesses were satisfied with their lives in the countryside.
Of those who moved to the countryside but were not engaged in agricultural or livestock businesses, 67.4 percent said they were satisfied living in the countryside.
With 67.8 percent of countryside households engaged in farming and livestock businesses, 49.8 percent of those not engaged in such activities said they maintain a friendly relationship with local residents.
For households engaged in farming and livestock businesses, the primary source of disputes included ‘access to the village’s public facilities’ (35.1 percent).
For those not engaged in such businesses, the primary source of disputes included ‘colliding interests on way of life’ (32.6 percent).
The average annual household income for those engaged in agricultural and livestock businesses stood at 32.1 million won (US$24,640) over the past five years.
The average household income for those not engaged in such businesses stood at 40.5 million won.
Compared with the first year, income rose by 41.4 percent for farming/livestock households, and by 14.9 percent for non-farming/livestock households.
The farming/livestock households decided to return to the countryside for nature (32.4 percent), vision for agricultural businesses (21 percent), and inheriting family businesses (20 percent).
The non-farming/livestock households decided to return to the countryside for employment in non-agricultural/livestock sectors (22.6 percent), nature (14.1 percent), and inner peace (13.2 percent).
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
