○ With the rapid shrinking and aging of rural areas in Jeonbuk State (the State), various population growth programs that focus on the “returning to farming and rural areas” policy are being developed to increase the region’s de facto and relational population. Additionally, as part of its action plan to promote de jure population growth, the State has begun issuing region-specific and special visas to attract top-tier foreign talent and the Korean diaspora, widely opening its doors to foreigners. 

○ The population decline and the subsequent agricultural labor shortage have boosted the demand for foreign workers, resulting in an annual increase in the influx of foreign workers with seasonal work visas (E-8) and non-professional work visas (E-9). However, being simply regarded as replacements for domestic workers, foreign workers in agriculture with such visas have not been considered in the formulation of population policies. Given changes in the rural demographic structure and population-driven social changes, the State must craft policies to advance the status of foreign workers in agriculture to the de facto and relational population as well as the de jure population. To this end, the State needs to divide its population into urban residents and foreigners and carefully devise and promote stage-specific farm population policies ranging from influx to settlement. 

○ We propose that farm population policies for urban residents take a two-pronged approach involving the “de facto and relational population” policy and “returning to farming and rural areas” policy. Regarding the former, it is vital that relevant parties create an environment in which urban residents develop a keen interest in the rural areas of the State, build close relationships with villagers in these areas, and thus contribute to enhancing local vitality through sustainable activities and exchanges. Simultaneously, the latter must be geared toward helping prospective rural returnees seamlessly migrate to and settle in the State’s rural areas. 

○ Policies targeting foreigners must focus on developing multicultural programs to promote the health and capabilities of married immigrant women and their families. For foreign seasonal workers who can potentially serve as the rural de facto and relational population, seasonal worker policies must be formulated to support these workers in their stable adaptation to new agricultural environments. The State is also advised to develop policies for foreign workers with E-9 visas that would lay the foundation for advancing their visa status to E-7 (skilled workers) in crop cultivation and related industries. This would further facilitate their settlement as local residents. 

○ Policies for urban residents must be devised and pursued in the four stages of “interest,” “exploration,” “settlement (implementation→ settlement support),” and “integration (follow-up management),” while those for foreigners must be promoted in the four stages of “immigration,” “adaptation,” “settlement,” and “integration,” ultimately increasing the de facto and relational population or de jure population of Jeonbuk State.

○ Examples of policies for urban residents include 1) developing content that combines typical agricultural and rural resources with cutting-edge technologies to enable them to experience rural life in a smart way, 2) creating smart workations in rural areas that leverage IoT, AI, and AI convergence technology, and 3) lowering housing and farmland acquisition taxes to encourage the State’s de facto and relational population to become the de jure population. 

○ Examples of policies for foreigners include 1) allocating extra spaces to married immigrant women for special college admission to agriculture-related departments to strengthen their job capabilities and 2) issuing “region-specific visas for skilled workers (E-7-R)” to conscientious E-9 holders in the State on condition that they have completed a required educational program at a work–learning training center for foreign workers certified by the Governor of Jeonbuk. The E-7-R visa would allow foreign workers to engage not only in agriculture but also in related industries.

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