Non-Speculative Farmland Violations to Be Granted Voluntary Correction Opportunity

Minor Offenses such as Verbal Lease Agreements
Party and Government Grant Voluntary Correction Period

The Democratic Party of Korea and the government have agreed to grant a voluntary correction period and encourage the normalization and legalization of minor violations of the Farmland Act, such as verbal lease agreements or fallow land due to the aging of farmers, as long as these are not speculation-related offenses. This measure is a supplementary response to growing distrust and backlash, such as the accusation that “the government is taking away farmers’ land through a farmland survey.” However, for speculative violations—such as acquiring or owning farmland for profit from market price gains, development profits, or compensation, without actual intention to farm—the authorities will issue restoration and disposal orders in accordance with the law.

On September 21, the party and government held consultations at the National Assembly, where they discussed the “Status of the Farmland Full Survey and Future Action Plans.”

Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, is delivering the opening remarks at the 'Policy-Party Consultative Meeting on the Direction of the Comprehensive Farmland Survey' held at the National Assembly on September 21, 2026. Photo by Dongju Yoon

Yoon Junbyung, Democratic Party secretary at the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, explained, “In principle, we will respond to speculation and major illegal acts based on the law, but for minor, customary violations that occur in rural areas, the goal is to restore these to normal farmland usage relationships.” If violations such as leaving land fallow or improper leasing are found in the survey, violators will be given a voluntary correction period during which they can resolve the violation either by cultivating the land themselves or by leasing it in a manner permitted under the Farmland Act. If it is difficult to make corrections within the period, the obligation to dispose of the land may be deferred by entrusting leasing and management to the Farmland Bank. The specific correction period will be set through the enactment of a special law within this year. Furthermore, habitual lease practices unrelated to speculation—such as swapping land for convenience among farmers or a single tenant cultivating farmland aggregated from the village—will also have the disposal obligation postponed if entrusted to the Farmland Bank. Shared farmland, provided it is not for speculative purposes, can also be leased to the Farmland Bank with the consent of a majority of share owners.

To prevent confusion in the field, such as tenant evictions, the “special correction period for leases” will also be extended through November 15. Farmland owned for more than three years will be excluded from follow-up investigations and not deemed a leasing violation if it is leased to the Farmland Bank during the survey period.

For farmland found to be illegally converted, unless the violation is serious—such as land destruction within an agricultural promotion area—an opportunity will be given for ex post facto legalization. This is the first such opportunity in 38 years, since 1988. For facilities that could have been legitimately installed on farmland through the proper conversion process but remained illegal because of a failure to obtain permits or submit a notification, retroactive application for conversion will be allowed, and if requirements are met, a legalization process will be pursued, such as imposing a farmland preservation charge. In contrast, those who acquire farmland for profit—such as price gains or development returns—without actual farming intentions, or those who illegally convert agricultural promotion areas for non-agricultural uses like storage yards or campsites, will face strict consequences. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs cited as representative types of speculation the cases where false farming plans were submitted in land transaction permit zones to acquire farmland, then left idle or leased illegally, and cases where farmland was acquired through agricultural corporations and then used for real estate business.

An official at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, “In land transaction permitting zones such as new town developments, there have been typical cases of farmland speculation, such as 122 people submitting false farming plans, acquiring farmland, and then having the previous owners cultivate it, thereby extracting speculation profits totaling 42.2 billion won. For these serious cases of speculation and illegal conversion, restoration orders and, if necessary, disposal orders will be strictly imposed in accordance with the law.”

The party and government plan to enact a special law specifying the targets and procedures for postponement of disposal and ex post facto approval of conversion, alongside amendments to the Farmland Act. They are also considering increasing the budgets for programs for agricultural structural reform and stabilization of the farmland market, such as farmland purchasing and the farmland pension scheme.

Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, “The full survey of farmland is the starting point for accurately understanding the current reality of our farmland and reforming the farmland system in line with these realities, in order to revitalize agriculture and rural communities.” She urged, “Farmers and citizens who act in good faith will suffer no disadvantages or inconveniences as a result of these measures, so please do not be anxious and cooperate actively with the survey staff.”

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