Party-Government: "Clear Cases of Speculation on Farmland Will Be Addressed... Minor Violations to Be Normalized" (Comprehensive)

Pushing Forward Amendments to the Farmland Act and Enactment of Special Legislation
Yoon Joonbyung: "Minor Violations Can Be Remedied"

On September 21, the Democratic Party of Korea and the government announced their stance on the controversial "agricultural land survey," stating, "While clear cases of speculation and serious illegal acts will be dealt with strictly according to the law and principles, habitual and minor violations arising from rural realities will be normalized as valid agricultural land use relations, as a fundamental policy principle." The Democratic Party also decided to pursue legislative measures, including special laws for the legalization of illegal conversion of farmland.

Yoon Junbyung, who serves as the senior Democratic Party member on the National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, explained after the 'Direction for the Full Survey of Farmland Promotion Party-Government Meeting' at the National Assembly that same day, "The party and government both recognize the intent and necessity of the full survey of farmland, but they also agree on the urgent need to quickly alleviate public anxiety, taking into account concerns being raised in the field, such as the possibility of administrative actions for habitual rural violations, difficulties in selling farmland, and the realities of an aging rural population."

Yoon stated, "In the case of speculative activities such as acquiring farmland through dishonest or fraudulent means within a designated land transaction permission zone, then leaving it unused or allowing someone else to covertly cultivate it, and of serious illegal conversion strictly prohibited within agricultural promotion zones, the response will adhere to principles." He continued, "Non-speculative unauthorized fallow land or illegal leases, for which the owners have difficulty managing the land legally, will be allowed to entrust it to the Farmland Bank, deferring disposition and normalizing use so that the land can be properly utilized. In addition, policy support measures to revitalize long-term leases through the Farmland Bank are also to be reviewed."

Regarding speculative behavior, Yoon said, "In principle, speculative elements include acquiring farmland near urban areas for non-agricultural purposes, failing to actually utilize it for farming, acquiring land with the intent of splitting and waiting, or operating a farming corporation in name only while engaging in real estate-like business activities. The primary concern is acquiring and using farmland in land transaction permission zones for financial gain rather than genuine agricultural use. Farming corporations not conducting farming operations but engaging in activities similar to real estate businesses are also considered speculative acts."

With regard to minor violations, he stated, "In actual cases, leases or fallow land that do not comply with regulations on the ground can be remedied. If a fallow situation or lease exists, a system is to be established where it can be designated and entrusted to Korea Rural Community Corporation, and upon such designation and entrustment, rectification is possible."

On the 21st, at the 'Direction for Agricultural Land Full Survey Promotion Party-Government Meeting' held at the National Assembly, Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (fourth from the left), Kwon Chilseung, Policy Committee Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, and other attendees are taking a commemorative photo. 2026.09.21 Photo by Yoon Dongju

For facilities where the conversion process was omitted, steps will be taken for legalization. After paying farmland preservation charges, post-facto conversion will be possible. In this context, Yoon said, "To provide a legal basis for the legalization and suspension of disposition in cases of illegally converted agricultural land, the party and government will push for the enactment of a special measure law by the end of the year and prepare amendments to the Farmland Act better suited to reflect the realities on the ground by the first half of next year."

Future amendments to the Farmland Act will be based on the findings of the full survey of agricultural land. He continued, "Currently, there are strong regulations requiring farmland be used strictly for the intended purposes under the Farmland Act. For example, fallow land due to aging is essentially deemed illegal, resulting in disguised farming operations and various practical problems." He also said, "If a landowner does not manage the farmland directly, even if the land is otherwise entrusted, any disclosure of this fact results in the loss of so-called public direct payment support, creating a disconnect that needs to be addressed to resolve inconvenience at the field level. Unless illegal acts are remedied, all conversion processes are prohibited, but there are cases where, despite failure to comply with legal procedures for a long period, the irregularities are still remediable."

Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, delivers opening remarks at the 'Direction for the Full Survey of Farmland Promotion Party-Government Meeting' held at the National Assembly on the 21st. 2026.09.21 Photo by Dongju Yoon

Meanwhile, there was a call to ensure that farmers do not feel unduly anxious about simple violations of the Farmland Act uncovered during the survey process. Yoon said, "There was consensus that investigators should be careful not to make statements that could wrongly label farmers as speculators based solely on the Farmland Act, or mislead those who are not speculators—especially in cases where farmland doesn't even exist within land transaction permission zones—by thoroughly reviewing investigators' findings to prevent unnecessary misconceptions and anxiety among farmers during the survey." He added, "There were also suggestions that the Farmland Bank should actively purchase farmland for which farmers wish to receive farmland pensions or to sell, to reduce complaints that 'even if I want to sell my farmland, there is nobody to buy it.'"

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