[Why&Next] 'Comprehensive Farmland Survey' Launched to Eradicate Speculation...Now Focusing on Improving Farmland Utilization

Intensive Investigation of 780,000 Hectares of Suspected Farmland Begins in August
Farmland in Violation of the Farmland Act to Be Allocated to Young Farmers and Used for Agrivoltaics
Measures to Be Developed Through Joint Inter-Ministerial Farmland Policy Reform Task Force

The government is accelerating a comprehensive survey of farmland as part of efforts to eradicate speculation. Through the first basic survey, authorities are screening targets for on-site inspections. At the same time, the government plans to embark on institutional improvements such as establishing a management system to ensure farmland is used for its intended purpose: agricultural production. Farmland that violates the Farmland Act—such as illegal leases or conversions, unauthorized idling, or breaches of ownership restrictions—will be identified and repurposed to support young farmers and for projects like the installation of village-based agrivoltaics.

On the 1st, a senior official at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs stated, “We are in discussions with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on forming a task force to establish measures for improving farmland utilization.” The official added, “We plan to form a joint task force with dispatched staff from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Ministry of Economy and Budget Planning.”

The government is pursuing policy reforms to promote better utilization of farmland because, in some regions, land prices are so high that it is difficult to secure land for farming. In fact, last year, the actual transaction price of farmland in Gyeonggi Province stood at 607,000 won per 3.3 square meters, 7.4 times higher than that of Jeollanam-do. The authorities expect that eliminating speculative demand, such as illegal rentals and unauthorized fallowing, will lead to the stabilization and reduction of farmland prices.

The farmland survey gained significant momentum when President Lee Jaemyung pointed out at a cabinet meeting in February of this year, "Currently, the management of farmland in our country is a mess. Even farmland has become an object of speculation." Subsequently, the ruling party and the government officially announced the phased implementation of a comprehensive farmland survey in April, and on May 18, the government began the basic survey of farmlands.

As of July 28, after the basic survey was conducted through 5,313 government officials and 2,964 civilian surveyors, the results showed that out of 1.36 million hectares, 27.0% (300,000 hectares) of farmland were suspected of violating ownership restrictions, illegal leasing, illegal conversions, or unauthorized fallowing. A significant number of suspected violations of the Farmland Act were found in Sejong, Jeju, and Gangwon. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to launch an in-depth inspection on the 300,000 hectares of possibly non-compliant land identified in the basic survey, as well as land at risk for speculation such as in the Seoul metropolitan area and areas subject to land transaction permitting requirements. The in-depth inspections, which will begin this month, will cover a total of 780,000 hectares (57.5%).

The in-depth inspection will be conducted in two phases: on-site inspections and supplementary investigations. For these in-depth surveys, the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service—well-versed in actual cultivation inspections within the direct payment and agricultural management system—will, for the first time, be mobilized for farmland investigations to ensure thorough scrutiny of farmland at risk of speculation. The principle for on-site inspections is that officials and surveyors visit the farmland and directly confirm its use. However, in areas where access is difficult, such as islands and mountainous regions, drones, aerial, and satellite photography will also be utilized.

In supplementary investigations, there will be further verification of issues such as possible illegal leasing that cannot be easily confirmed on-site. While farmland owners will be asked to provide supporting documents, to accurately assess the situation and lessen the administrative burden on elderly farmers, additional administrative data, resident-participation surveys, and field interviews will also be employed.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and local governments will categorize identified violations by type and take necessary measures after completing in-depth investigations. In particular, issues related to speculation will be addressed strictly. In addition to administrative sanctions, the government will seek multifaceted ways to utilize farmland in violation or long-term idle farmland, including purchasing and restoring such land through the Farmland Bank, consignment for scaling and consolidation, support for young farmers, and installation of village-based agrivoltaics. These utilization strategies will be discussed by the task force for improving farmland utilization, which will be established jointly with relevant ministries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.