President Lee Jae-myung said on the 26th that the government's full census of farmland was launched at the suggestion of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Song Mi-ryung. He had initially ordered a review of farmland bought for speculation near the greater Seoul area, but the scope widened after Song recommended a complete census that had gone undone for decades, he said. Lee again sought to ease concerns among farmers, saying the government does not intend to seize farmland or impose penalties.
Speaking at a "Dialogue with Farmers and Fishers" event at the Blue House guest house, Lee explained how the census came about. "Originally, I said we needed to check the situation with farmland bought for speculation near the greater Seoul area," he said. "At that point the minister proposed to me, 'While we're at it, we're required by law to do this, and there's a survey that hasn't been done for decades, so let's conduct a full census.' That's how it came about."
Lee said the initial plan focused on identifying farmland acquired for speculation by people with no intention of farming it. "This isn't about land that was inherited or farmed by ancestors for generations," he said. "It's about looking into cases where someone declared they would farm, bought land on that basis, and then didn't farm it or used it for something else." He added that such cases are "the main reason home prices near the greater Seoul area are rising now."
Lee also stressed the need to establish the facts about farmland. "To carry out any policy on farmland, you have to know what the situation with farmland actually is, and the law requires a survey," he said. "I heard it hadn't been done for 70 years. Surely we at least need to find out."
The government has been conducting a nationwide farmland census since May of this year. The first phase covers about 1.36 million hectares of farmland acquired after the Farmland Act took effect in 1996. Next year, the scope is to expand to about 590,000 hectares acquired before the law took effect. In an earlier basic survey, 2.84 million lots — about 27% of the farmland surveyed — were classified as suspected violations of the Farmland Act, including illegal leasing and unauthorized fallowing.
Concerns have spread, however, that the census could lead to forced disposal of farmland without adequate consideration of rural realities such as inheritance and an aging population. Lee drew a line on that point: "This is not an attempt to take farmland away or impose penalties." He added, "If someone inherited farmland from their mother or father but can't farm it because they have a job to go to, who would fault them for that?"
The government and the ruling party announced on the 8th of this month that they would enact a special measures law to exempt ordinary and customary violations without speculative intent from disposal orders. Lee said he was aware of the concerns among farmers and fishers surrounding the census. "Let me be clear: none of you will suffer unjust harm," he said.
He also said the government would expand its budget for policy purchases of farmland for owners who want to sell. "I'm thinking of sharply increasing the farmland purchase budget so that those who want to sell can sell," Lee said.