President Lee Jae-myung Calls for Expansion of Agricultural Subsidies

President Lee Jae-myung and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryong argued for the need to increase domestic agricultural subsidies via social networking services (SNS). It has been confirmed that subsidies received by South Korean farming households fall short of even half of those provided by the European Union (EU) and Japan.

Minister Song revealed that based on 2025 figures, subsidies received by domestic farming households amount to a mere 5.19 million won, which is significantly lower than the EU's 25.8 million won and Japan's 9.67 million won. The proportion of subsidies in agricultural income was found to be 30.7% for South Korea, compared to 49.4% for the EU and 62.7% for Japan.

President Lee defined agriculture as a national security strategic industry, stating that an increase in subsidies is necessary to compensate for damages arising during the market opening process and to ensure food security. Furthermore, citing the increase in tax revenue from the tax for rural development due to a revitalized stock market, he also mentioned the possibility of securing financial resources to expand subsidies.