Gangwon Yanggu and Inje have been additionally selected for the "Smart Orchard Specialized Complex Creation Project."

(Chuncheon=Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Jae-hyun = Gangwon's Yanggu County and Inje County have been additionally selected for the Smart Orchard Complex Development Project. Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province announced on the 6th that these two regions have been added to the '2026 Smart Orchard Complex Development' national budget bidding project led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, securing a total project cost of 80 billion won, including 25 billion won in national funds. With this additional selection, seven out of the 16 Smart Orchard Complexes nationwide will be established in Gangwon Province. Yanggu will have two sites, and Wonju, Taebaek, Jeongseon, Cheorwon, and Inje will each have one site. This project, to be newly launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries starting in 2025, aims to respond to climate change and the aging of farmers. It aims to reduce labor and double productivity, increase mechanization rates by introducing a flat-shaped water form that allows for mechanization, automation, and disaster prevention. Yanggu County and Inje County, which were selected in the additional bidding, will also establish fruit production complexes that incorporate smart cultivation technology. It is expected that this will create a stable production base for high-quality fruits, as well as reduce labor and increase productivity. Park Hyeong-cheol, Director of the Provincial Agricultural Policy Bureau, said, "The selection in this bidding project is the result of the province and cities/counties systematically preparing the target areas in advance" and "We will continue to expand the Smart Orchard Complex to cultivate the Gangwon apple industry as a future growth industry."