People Power Party lawmaker Kim Eun-hye raised allegations of farmland speculation by a senior presidential official and argued that there must be a thorough review of whether the farmland was owned in accordance with the law.
According to an analysis of the asset disclosures, land registers, and related materials released on the 6th by Kim Eun-hye's office, a total of 10 senior presidential officials who reported assets own farmland (jeon/paddy).
▲ National security adviser Wi Sung-lac ▲ Senior presidential secretary for legal affairs Lee Jang-hyung ▲ Senior presidential secretary for national public relations Lee Min-joo ▲ Senior presidential secretary for agriculture, forestry and livestock Lee Young-soo ▲ Senior presidential secretary for national planning Kwon Soon-jung ▲ Senior presidential secretary for speechwriting Seo Yong-min ▲ Senior presidential secretary for national integration Her Eun-a ▲ Senior presidential secretary for autonomy development Lee Sun-ho ▲ Senior presidential secretary for foreign media Choi Sung-a ▲ Senior presidential secretary for gender equality and family Jeong Jeong-ok.
Kim said that in the case of Senior Presidential Secretary for Gender Equality and Family Jeong Jeong-ok, who is regarded as part of the representative "Seongnam, Gyeonggi" line, she directly purchased farmland in 2016 in Icheon and Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, under her own and her child's names, respectively. Kim noted that after Jeong and her family bought farmland in these areas, nearby areas were designated as development zones, pointing to the possibility that the farmland purchases were speculative.
Jeong is confirmed to directly own 254.30㎡ out of 3,306.00㎡ at 598 Sanchon-ri, Bubal-eup, Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. The farmland in question was purchased for 70 million won in Nov. 2016, according to the register.
The farmland Jeong purchased is located near the Bubal station area development project site. Three years after Jeong bought the farmland, in 2019, a development project application was filed, and in 2024 the Bubal Station was included in the D line of the Greater Seoul Metropolitan Express Railway (GTX).
Jeong's child is also confirmed to own 155.60㎡ of farmland out of 2,645.00㎡ at 345-13 Hajung-dong, Siheung, Gyeonggi Province. The farmland was purchased in Nov. 2016, the same period as Jeong's, for 32.34 million won.
This farmland is likewise close to the Siheung Hajung housing site development district. Two years after Jeong's child purchased the farmland, the adjacent area was proposed in 2018 for designation as a public housing district, and in 2019 the Siheung Hajung public housing district designation and topographic map notice were issued.
People Power Party lawmaker Kim Eun-hye said, "Not only Senior Secretary Jeong Jeong-ok, but senior presidential officials who own farmland in their own names or in the names of their young children must transparently explain whether they are truly adhering to the principle of 'land to the tiller' emphasized by President Lee Jae-myung, given that it is realistically impossible for the parties to cultivate the land themselves."
Earlier, President Lee Jae-myung said at a Cabinet meeting on Feb. 24, "Right now, Korea's farmland management is a mess. Hasn't farmland even become a target of speculation?" He added, "The Constitution lays out the principle of land to the tiller, but unconstitutional acts are taking place in every way. Isn't everyone thinking, 'You just have to buy farmland and pretend to farm'?"