What the Agriculture Ministry's Comprehensive Audit Left Behind: 'Farmland Survey, Direct Election of NACF Chairman, Gwacheon Racetrack Relocation'

October 7-23: 2026 Parliamentary Audit by the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee
Opposition: "Farmland survey rushed, fueling confusion on the ground" · Song Mi-ryung: "We must not distort its original purpose"
NACF’s accepted plan for direct elections of its chairman by cooperative members back in the spotlight
Criticism also mounts over inadequate plans for relocating the Gwacheon racetrack

The National Assembly Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee's 2026 parliamentary audit, which began on October 7, ended on October 23. During the audit, opposition lawmakers criticized the government for rushing ahead with a comprehensive farmland survey. They also argued that direct elections of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) chairman by cooperative members would violate cooperative principles. Lawmakers also said the relocation of the Gwacheon racetrack was being delayed because it was moving forward without the government's support measures having been finalized.

Yonhap News Agency

◆ Opposition lawmakers say farmland survey was rushed, causing confusion on the ground; Song Mi-ryung says, "I have never said farmers are speculators" = On October 22, opposition lawmakers focused their criticism on the lack of preparation for the comprehensive farmland survey. Lee Seonggwon of the People Power Party said that "the president's mistaken understanding of rural realities, combined with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' rushed implementation, harmed farmers." His party colleague Lee Yangsu pointed to the minister's response during the October 7 audit, when she said the lack of preparation was "my fault," and criticized her, saying, "Judging by the way you are answering, it seems you do not think it was your fault at all." Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryung replied, "That is not what I meant," adding, "We must not distort the original purpose of the farmland survey."

Minister Song continued, "I have never said that farmers on the ground are speculators. We will instead distinguish and address ordinary, customary violations of the Farmland Act in the field, separating them from speculation. We will close the gap between current realities and the system."

The farmland survey was launched in February this year after President Lee Jae-myung ordered the government to consider a comprehensive survey, saying, "Farmland has also become a target for speculation, driving up prices." In May, the government passed at a Cabinet meeting an amendment to the Farmland Act that made disposition orders mandatory for farmland found to be in violation of the law. On May 18, it began the first basic survey, which was scheduled to run through the end of July and cover farmland acquired since the Farmland Act took effect in January 1996. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said that, based on the first survey, violations involving ownership restrictions, illegal leases, illegal conversion, and unauthorized fallowing were suspected on 300,000 hectares, or 27% of the 1.36 million hectares of farmland surveyed.

Concerns spread in some quarters that "the government is taking farmers' land through the farmland survey." On September 21, the Democratic Party of Korea and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced supplementary measures following consultations between the ruling party and the government. They said they would provide a period for voluntary corrections for minor violations of the Farmland Act, such as verbal lease agreements not made for speculative purposes and fallowing by elderly farmers, and would encourage regularization and legalization. On October 8, they announced further measures for the farmland survey, saying that no disposition order would be imposed for minor violations of the Farmland Act that did not constitute clear speculation, such as fallowing or lease violations. The ministry has also been operating a "Farmland Survey Consultation Center" since October 12 to address the public's questions about the comprehensive survey and communicate actively with people in the field.

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Miryeong explains “Follow-up Measures for Farmland Inspections and Directions for Institutional Reform” at the Government Complex Sejong on the 8th. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

◆ "Direct elections of the NACF chairman by cooperative members," accepted by the NACF, back in the spotlight = During this audit, lawmakers also criticized the proposal, arguing that excluding member cooperatives from voting would violate cooperative principles. The NACF had said it shared the view that "the election system needs to be improved to make it more democratic and accountable" and that it would "actively accept direct elections by cooperative members."

During the comprehensive audit, People Power Party lawmaker Kim Yongtae argued that "the direct election system being pursued by the government and ruling party excludes member cooperatives from voting and runs counter to the spirit of cooperatives." Instead, he proposed that members vote for their preferred candidate, with the results from each cooperative added together to elect the NACF chairman. Minister Song said the matter fell within the realm of legislative policy and that she did not believe the proposal was illegal.

National Agricultural Cooperative Federation Chairman Kang Hodong (second from right). Yonhap News

Debate also continued over a proposal to establish an external audit committee, one of the key issues in NACF reform. Kim asked whether it was appropriate to establish a separate independent body, saying, "Over the past six years, there has not been a single case in which strong supervisory powers, such as revoking a Central Association resolution or suspending an executive's duties or the association's operations, have been exercised." NACF Chairman Kang Hodong said, "It is true that the NACF's autonomy and independence are our greatest concern," adding, "We will work with the government and the National Assembly to develop reasonable measures for NACF reform that meet public expectations." In response, Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Shin Jangsik emphasized, "Independence and autonomy are fundamental principles of auditing. Only an independent external audit organization can carry out audits that are truly independent and autonomous."

◆ Criticism over inadequate plans for relocating the Gwacheon racetrack; Song says, "We are discussing the matter through a support consultative body" = During the audit, Lee Seonggwon questioned the progress of plans to relocate the Gwacheon racetrack. He asked, "Have key issues been settled, including the relocation costs and timeline, the government's support measures for the relocation, and plans for horse-racing operations?" Minister Song replied, "We are working those out now," adding, "There are things our ministry can do, and other matters that require further discussion with other ministries."

Earlier, Korea Racing Authority Chairman Woo Heejong reiterated the authority's longstanding position that the government must guarantee the relocation costs, while expressing support for relocating the Gwacheon racetrack. "We support the relocation itself," he said, "but we are asking the government to guarantee the relocation costs." The authority's demand for an explicit government commitment to fund the relocation and the government's position that a new site should be selected first remain at odds. As a result, an agenda item setting out the criteria and timeline for soliciting proposals for a new site has not been submitted to the authority's board of directors.

The Asia Business Daily DB.

On January 29 this year, the government announced its "Plan to Expand and Accelerate Urban Housing Supply," which calls for providing 9,800 homes by using the Seoul Race Park (Gwacheon racetrack) site and the Defense Counterintelligence Command site. It said 8,000 homes and 1,800 homes would be built on the respective sites after the Gwacheon racetrack and the Defense Counterintelligence Command are relocated. In June this year, the Korea Racing Authority prepared and submitted to the government a "Review Plan for the Sustainable Development of the Horse Industry and the Relocation of Seoul Race Park." The authority estimates that relocating the Gwacheon racetrack will require at least KRW 2.3879 trillion and has called for a 50% reduction in the leisure tax, abolition of the local education tax, and an increase in the cap on horse-racing ticket purchases to secure the necessary funds. However, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has only agreed to raise the ticket-purchase cap from KRW 100,000 to KRW 200,000 and allow remote registration for electronic betting tickets. Measures such as reducing the leisure tax and lowering tax rates remain blocked by opposition from the relevant ministries.

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