[Weekender] Welcome to S. Korea’s first ‘vegan village’

INJE, Gangwon Province -- In the village of Sinwol-ri, nestled between the mountains of Inje-gun, Gangwon Province, sits “New Moon Village,” now home for five rescued cows that are driving up hopes to rejuvenate a remote village suffering from population decline.

Dubbed the “Flower Cows,” the male Holstein cows had been raised as livestock for beef, and were discovered at an unlicensed dog farm in Incheon in late 2020. As the farm was forced to shut down the same year, the cows had been facing two possible fates: to be relocated to another livestock farm to face slaughter later, or immediate death.

But through the fundraising efforts of animal activist group Animal Liberation Wave, the cows settled into the Sinwol-ri to live with the villagers in November 2022.

The arrival of the five cows in the village also meant another significant change in the village’s identity. Though the village's livelihood is dependent on products from farming and livestock such as "hanwoo" -- a cattle breed native to South Korea -- activists began to call the village Korea’s first “vegan village” in the hope of attracting “curious tourists as well as younger visitors interested in adapting the lifestyle practice.”

“After hearing about the idea, I was hesitant and so were the other residents. The villagers were confused about the sudden move to veganism as most of them were involved in the livestock business and didn’t intend on giving that up any time soon,” said Jeon Do-hwa, Sinwol-ri's village head.

When asked what it means to be a “vegan village,” ALW President Lee Ji-yeon defined the term as a “village of life and nature.”

“Though the ALW activists, including myself, are vegan, being a vegan village doesn’t mean that the villagers all immediately switched to a strict plant-based diet,” said Lee. “Everyone in the village is trying to move toward a more sustainable lifestyle in their way while continuing with livestock farming, which is the livelihood of many residents here. But by becoming a vegan village and a sanctuary for the Flower Cows, we wish to promote integration and coexisting harmony between humans and animals -- ultimately become a space for those who want to coexist with animals and surrounding nature."

Boosting tourists

Since the village’s identity shifted from being previously known as a “livestock village” to a vegan village, the village saw a boost in tourist numbers through tour programs organized with ALW activists and village residents. These tour programs not only promote the village’s charm and culture but also veganism and the Flower Cows, “who are extremely beloved by all visitors,” according to Lee.

“Before (the ALW activists) moved to Sinwol-ri with the Flower Cows, the villagers were already entertaining tour programs of their own, such as walks, harvesting corn and making rice cakes,” said Lee. “But after settling into the village with the cows, the ALW activists began offering a variety of different activities such as educational programs on animal welfare and veganism, making healthy dishes like bibimbap out of the fresh produce harvested in the village as well as opportunities to meet and feed the Flower Cows.”

Lee added that in 2023, the year the village first began its activities promoting veganism, there were 1,300 visitors, a 20 percent boost compared to visitor numbers from 2022.

Ultimately, after developing more vegan recipes using local ingredients unique to Inje-gun, the village aims to host an annual vegan festival, hoping to draw 2,000 annual visitors by 2025.

Possible solution to population decline

However, it isn’t just the potential boost in tourist numbers that the village has been looking forward to. The village faces potential extinction, as it has seen a steady decline in population from 128 villagers in 2003 to 87 villagers in 55 households as of 2024.

According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, these villagers are mostly 65 and older. Inje-gun itself has also seen a steady population decline since 1980, when it once had 48,000 residents to 32,000 recently due to its significantly high urban migration rate of 63.6 percent among recent university graduates as of 2023.

Since relocating the Flower Cows, villagers say they have seen a small increase of “young faces,” mostly in their 30s and 40s. These include the eight ALW activists, their families and those who temporarily live in the village during its short-term programs lasting two to six months.

Choo Hyeon-uk was one of the eight activists who moved to the village in 2022 with his wife and two children, Gaia and Sol. Having lived in the city all his life, he told The Korea Herald that moving to the countryside had always been his dream.

“When I heard that the Flower Cows needed someone to care for them, I felt that this was the perfect opportunity for me to fulfill my life goals,” mentioned Choo. “I didn’t hesitate and immediately said that I wanted to be in charge of taking care of the cows and their well-being. I thought this would also be a great opportunity for me to learn what it’s like to care for livestock.”

Choo added, “My children are so happy here, and I find so much pride in what I do for the cows in this village. As the climate crisis worsens, it’s important for us to grow our food and learn to be self-sufficient from what we can cultivate from the land. I’m happy to know I can teach my children these values.”

Based on the uniqueness of the notion of a vegan village and its potential for success, Inje-gun has offered support funds of up to 2.6 billion won ($1.88 million) from September to develop the tour programs and build additional infrastructure. In addition to this support, the Interior Ministry will subsidize the village with up to 300 million won until 2026 as part of the ministry’s “local branding” initiative to fund the sustainable growth of rural regions through its unique characteristics.

With such funds, Lee told The Korea Herald that a primary school that has closed since 2019 is now being converted into a playground and also a cultural space to teach visitors about veganism. Near the school, lodging will also be available for the village's short-term visitors.

"Once this entire process is complete, New Moon Village will be officially open to the public as New Moon Sanctuary by 2025," Lee said.