In the political trend for new government’s regional development in 2013, materialization of ‘happy regional life zone’ is selected as a core strategy while regional development committee prepared a guideline so that it is needed to cope with the foregoing. The action plan for the happy regional life zone, which will be a core spatial policy of the new government, is needed on how to accomplish and what the to-be feature is. Under this background, this study is to check the trend of development policy for rural areas, and to draw detailed issues and tasks related to the happy regional life zone.
The contents of this study are described as the following. Firstly, changes in the surroundings and trend of past development policies for rural areas are reviewed so that the future outlook is projected. Next, the execution direction for development policies for rural areas is reviewed. The right direction for development policies for rural areas and major political tasks in the mid and long term are identified. Especially, development policies for rural areas based on settlement system is materially reviewed from the spatial perspective. Lastly, the action plan for the happy regional life zone is drawn to conclusion. This study includes the composition standards, detailed plan, support system on the plan from the central government, and performance appraisal for local authorities to promote the happy regional life zone in more active and dominant manner.
The happy regional life zone is defined as the ‘space of citizens’ daily life where fundamental infra, job, education, culture, welfare service are satisfied so that they feel happy anywhere in the country. It is to improve the level of satisfaction for citizens by improving the flow of service for each daily-life zone regardless of administrative district. The happy regional life zone can be established by respective region’s own discretion, but in a manner of bottom-up type daily-life zone (composed with 2 to 4 local governments geographically connected). The government will provide the taylor-made support for each life zone and evenly support among the zones while it will put its priority first on cooperation projects among the local authorities and citizen experience projects.
The development plan for regional life zone, which is established as a strategic plan focusing on mandatory projects for co-development of relevant life zones, includes vision for the life zone, goal and development strategy, business plan, and promotion system. The strategic plan includes necessary projects among 5 major fields including securing living infrastructure, jobs, education, welfare, and medical treatment, and improvement of related system.
It is needed that a comprehensive support system of inter-governmental bodies being centered by the regional development committee is to be established for materializing happy regional life zone plan. The regional development committee plays a role as a control tower providing guidelines, arbitrating conflicts related to life zones, and conducting post evaluation while the related governmental bodies needs to actively develop and improve projects needed for each life zone unit, and to support life zone projects first when selecting a new and contest project deliberated and approved by regional committee.


Researchers: Mi-Ryung Song, Joo-In Seong, Kwang-Sun Kim, Jae-Hun, Sim and In-Hye Kwon
Research Period: 2013. 8～2013. 12
E-mail Address: mrsong@krei.re.kr