Recent data compiled by Korea’s agriculture ministry indicates a marked decrease in the migration from urban areas to farming and fishing villages in 2022, following a two-year uptrend induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Figures show a 12.3% decline in the number of people moving to farming villages and a 16.2% decrease in the number of households relocating to fishing villages.

This reversal in rural migration correlates with a recoveryin the service sector following a surge driven by pandemic-related disruptions and rising urban housing costs. The data also reveals demographic trends among the relocating households. Of those moving to farming