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Lee visits southeastern province to inspect pilot basic income scheme

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By Yonhap
  • Published Oct 31, 2026 2:48 pm KST
President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Oct. 27. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Oct. 27. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung visited a southeastern province Saturday to inspect a government pilot program providing a monthly basic income to residents in depopulated rural towns.

Lee shared details of his unannounced trip to North Gyeongsang Province in a social media post, extending greetings to residents in Yeongyang and Cheongsong counties, located in the same province.

The Lee government has introduced the basic income scheme to provide local residents with 150,000 won ($112) per month in gift vouchers. A total of 69 counties nationwide have been designated as population-declining regions, 17 of which are currently running the pilot program.