INCENTIVES TO REVIVE RURAL COMMUNITIESUnder a two-year government-backed “rural basic income” pilot programme launched in December, every eligible resident receives vouchers worth 150,000 won (US$103) each month. The vouchers are loaded onto a physical card that residents can use at designated local businesses, ensuring the money circulates within the local economy. Yang, who opened his hair salon in Okcheon in March, said the voucher scheme has helped boost business. “The basic income has to be used in the village where you actually live … and (customers) have been coming in and using (the vouchers) a lot," he said. He said spending at his stall in Okcheon’s local produce market had risen by about 20 to 30 per cent.