But the perception began to change recently, as the proliferation in the pursuit of a life closer to nature has emerged as a fresh growth driver that can create innovative jobs and new opportunities in the face of a slowing economy.

The number of households that moved to rural areas from the capital city stood at 330,000 at the end of 2015, surging from a mere 1,000 tallied a decade earlier, according to the data by Statistics Korea. By 2034, the numbers will likely surpass the 3 million mark, the government agency predicts.

"Agriculture nowadays is transforming into a higher value-added industry that combines production, retail, manufacturing and tourism all in one. Its growth potential is inexhaustible when new ideas from the tech-savvy younger generation are laced with new technologies," Lee Joon-won, vice minister for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said.

While many of the new farmers are retirees who resettled in the countryside to live out their second lives away from the bustle of city life, a notable increase of younger people are making similar decisions as what can be viewed as an industrial transition is underway, commonly referred to as the "return-to-farm movement" in South Korea.

Of the 2015 statistics, 26.5 percent of the new rural population were in their 20s, followed by those in their 30s accounting for about 25 percent and people in their 40s taking up 17.4 percent. The portions are much higher than the combined percentage of 31.3 percent of those over 50.

The spread of rural living has prompted authorities and lawmakers to draw up measures to bolster support for farming business in anticipation that it will help ease high youth unemployment to some extent.

Aside from new enactments and rolling out plans to nurture rural living and farming, the authorities have worked with key IT companies to adopt smart technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robots and the Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance the infrastructure and production process.

The Y-Farm Expo, jointly hosted by Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's key news wire service, and the agriculture ministry, plans to unveil most up-to-date farming techniques during its three-day run starting Friday, which incorporates ICT skills such as a farming machine simulator and drone robots designed to help with cultivation.

SK Telecom Co., the country's top mobile carrier, has built an AI-based management system for a greenhouse in Sejong, south of Seoul, as a case study for its "smart farm technology." It incorporates IoT skills that enable a farmer to keep tabs on and manage the temperature, humidity and sunlight remotely via a mobile device.

IT industry officials say such smart technologies can trigger an epoch-making change into the farming business once they make headway. The whole process, from production and distribution to retail, can be evolved to one that offers customized services based on big data. Drones can be incorporated into the greater system to enhance delivery.

According to industry data, the global smart farm market is forecast to grow by an average of 14 percent annually to be valued at $18.4 billion by 2022, from $9 billion last year. Despite such a rosy outlook, experts raised concerns that ill-prepared young farmers may not succeed if they are too hasty.

"Thinking that living on a farm and growing crops won't be too hard," can lead to difficulties, informed observers claimed. They stressed the need for thorough preparation through research on the type of business they want to devote themselves to and setting up a careful strategy to carry it out before actually becoming a farmer.

"Rural living is not just moving houses, it's a migration that completely changes your life patterns. It's vital that you gather and learn the right information via government Web sites and, more importantly, you must go there and see things in person to build your own understanding," Kim Gwi-young, head of a Seoul-based government-affiliated center for return-to-farm movement, said. (Yonhap)