The government uncovered farmland in violation of the law, including illegal leases, in the nation's first-ever "full farmland survey" conducted this year and is set to purchase some of it next year, with 886.8 billion won to be allocated for the plan as of the 14th. This follows President Lee Jae-myung's order to identify farmland acquired for speculative purposes and take action.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs decided to proceed next year with the purchase of farmland in violation of the law as part of a "customized farmland support project." The full farmland survey to detect violations began in May. It was conducted under the Farmland Act, which provides that "farmers or agricultural corporations that acquire farmland must personally farm the land, and they may not leave it fallow or lease it illegally without justifiable reason."
In the basic survey, 27% (about 2.84 million parcels) of those surveyed nationwide were flagged as suspected Farmland Act violations. Cases identified included illegal leases (21.1%), unauthorized fallowing (11.6%), and illegal conversion (9%).
Based on this, an in-depth investigation will be conducted through the end of the year. If land is confirmed as violating the law, the government will issue a compulsory disposition order to the farmland owner. The system is intended to ensure farmland is used for its original purpose of agricultural production, preventing it from becoming a target for real estate speculation. If an owner ordered to sell fails to dispose of the land directly in time or to farm it personally, the government will initiate procedures to purchase it.
The purchase of farmland in violation of the law will proceed with the ministry supporting 886.8 billion won next year in a structure where the Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC) secures land ownership. This project accounts for 95% of the ministry's entire new project budget for next year (925.7 billion won). The purchased land will be used for programs that lease it at low cost to young farmers and full-time farmers, among others.
A ministry official said, "Because the scale of farmland to be purchased has not yet been finalized, the budget proposal was set as an estimate based on the basic survey results," adding, "Once the in-depth investigation is completed and the scale of the farmland to be purchased is confirmed, the actual budget投入 could change."
However, there are criticisms that the full farmland survey and the purchase of farmland in violation of the law should take rural realities into account. A representative of the agricultural sector said, "We should not ignore the realities of rural areas, where leases and other arrangements are unavoidable due to aging and breaks in farm succession," adding, "Measures such as sale orders should be pursued in consideration of rural realities."