86 villages selected for solar income program

617 villages applied in the second round of the Sunlight Income Village program, more than four times the 129 first-round applicants. The increase was attributed to a longer preparation period and project support. Villages had about four months to prepare for the second call, compared with two months for the first round, and received help identifying sites as well as regional briefings, village education and project consultations.

Eighty-six of 129 first-round villages were selected. Nine had met requirements to form cooperatives, secure sites and devise funding plans; the remaining 77 were conditionally selected despite needing further work on land-lease negotiations, financing plans or grid connections. Thirty-four villages were advised to apply in a later round after failing to secure sites or submit funding plans, while nine withdrew because of village circumstances.

Under the scheme, at least 10 residents form a cooperative to install and operate solar facilities on unused land, sharing proceeds through community welfare spending or individual distributions. Selected villages will receive guidance on permits and financial support covering up to 85 percent of installation costs. Projects center on public or village land for solar installations ranging from 300 kilowatts to 1 megawatt and must use domestically produced equipment, including modules and inverters.

Selected villages included cases that reduced initial investment costs by using reservoirs and other public land offered by the Korea Rural Community Corp. and local governments, or by linking policy funding. In Sangpan-ri in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, the Defense Ministry provided idle land that had been the focus of residents' conflicts over noise and safety related to a military shooting range. Gapyeong County proposed using a local-extinction response fund.

Second-round selection results are to be announced through local governments by Sept. 30, and an additional call in the second half is under consideration. The government aims to identify 700 villages this year. "The 86 villages selected in the first round are expected to become model cases and a stepping stone for nationwide expansion," Yoon Ho-jung, interior minister, said.