The Democratic Party of Korea and the government dismissed concerns that an ongoing full-scale survey of farmland is intended to forcibly take land from farmers. Officials said only speculative use of farmland would be corrected under the law, while minor and customary violations arising from conditions in rural areas would be addressed through guidance.
The party and the government laid out the direction of follow-up steps at a policy consultation on the farmland survey held at the National Assembly on the 21st. "We are conducting the survey to find out why farmland is left idle, why it is leased out and how support should be provided," said Kwon Chil-seung, head of the party's policy committee. "The findings must be put to proper use in developing agriculture and rural communities." He added that the survey should also serve as an opportunity to improve farmland rules that do not match reality.
Kwon was explicit that the survey is not aimed at seizing farmers' land. "At his news conference, the president also said this does not mean ordering someone to sell, by force, land that a father once farmed but can no longer work," he said. "The government must achieve the original purpose of the program while dispelling the anxiety that farmers and the public feel during the survey, and ensure the results are properly used for agricultural development."
Yoon Jun-byung, who chairs the party's policy coordination committee on the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, echoed that view. "The farmland survey is not about forcibly taking farmland or imposing heavy enforcement fines," he said. "The goal is to normalize farmland use in line with reality and to bring illegal facilities into compliance in an orderly way." Turning to the People Power Party, he said: "The ruling party and the government are drawing up specific measures to address concerns on the ground, so stop unsettling farmers and the public with distorted claims about the farmland survey." He called on the opposition to join discussions on livelihood issues for farmers and the future of rural communities.
The Democratic Party plans to pursue changes to help elderly farmers dispose of farmland and to help young and full-time farmers acquire it. It will secure funding for farmland purchases by the Farmland Bank and expand the budget for the farmland pension program, and if necessary will move to enact a special law and amend the Farmland Act.
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Song Mi-ryung said at the meeting that the government would spell out the criteria for follow-up action after the survey. "I have said consistently from the start that speculation will be corrected, but that for minor and customary violations in the field we will provide guidance, improve the rules or come up with alternatives," she said. "The Farmland Act is 30 years old and is in many ways out of step with reality," she added. "We will use this survey as an opportunity to improve the farmland system."
