An agricultural exhibition designed to promote the modern rural living and farming business kicked off in southern Seoul on Friday, drawing a large number of visitors from around the country seeking a new life away from big cities.

The 2017 Y-Farm Expo, co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's key news wire service, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs opened earlier in the day for a three-day run through Sunday. The event, which reflects new living trends in the country, was joined by representatives from 85 provincial governments and 11 agencies and various farming and rural development companies.

"The provincial towns have emerged as a future growth driver or a fresh source of profit as more young people aspire to live an eco-friendly life," Yonhap CEO and President Park No-hwang said in an opening address. "The exhibition will be a guide to those potential farmers who dream of rural resettlement and want a vision for the future in the farming industry."

This year's Y-Farm Expo has put its focus on proposing an envisioned future for the farming business that incorporates a vast range of cutting-edge IT -- one of South Korea's key strengths -- that will help enhance its competitiveness as a new growth driver.

"Agriculture is getting the spotlight as a driver of future growth that will create new jobs. I anticipate that the Y-Farm Expo will serve as an opportunity that can fuel such possibilities and potential," Lee Joon-won, the vice agriculture minister, said.

South Korea has seen a notable change in rural areas over the past decade, with the population growing rapidly as more urbanites are moving to the countryside to resettle and get into farming, spurred by a new trend in pursuit of a life closer to nature.

With a growing number of people in their 20s and 30s who are resettling in the countryside, policymakers and experts here have begun to view the development as an industrial transition, which can lead to job creation and the revitalization of the regional economy.

In line with the trend shift, the Y-Farm expo aims to provide young farming aspirants with the most up-to-date information and one-on-one consultation services that will help them gather ideas and build understanding on what farming is all about.

The event provides a chance to get hands-on knowhow on cutting-edge farming technologies showcased by related industries that have adopted artificial intelligence, drones and Internet of Things skills, expo organizers said. They said this can introduce a whole new dimension to farm management and the cultivation of produce.

On the first day of the expo, special lectures by industry professionals will be held, followed by presentations by urbanite-turned-rural dwellers sharing their successful return-to-farm stories.

The venue is due to be followed by an awards ceremony for successful farming startups and government officials in recognition of their contributions to the country's farming sector.

The expo is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during the three-day run. More information on the fair can be found at its official Web site. (Yonhap)