South Korea to ease approach to minor agricultural land violations — Korea Herald
In South Korea, the government and the ruling Democratic Party have agreed to respond more leniently to minor violations identified during a nationwide inspection of agricultural land. At the same time, authorities plan to apply measures provided by law in cases where land speculation is clearly evident, Korea Herald reports.
Inspection of land ownership
A comprehensive nationwide survey of agricultural land began at the start of the year. Its purpose is to identify the actual owners of plots and prevent agricultural land from being used as a speculative asset.
Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung said at a meeting with representatives of the Democratic Party that authorities would act in accordance with the law and principles if a speculative purpose is evident.
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Recommendations instead of sanctions
According to the minister, in cases of minor or everyday violations identified directly on the ground, authorities will issue recommendations or take alternative steps, including improving the system. The priority will be restoring the designated use of land rather than immediately punishing every violation.
Lawmaker Yoon Joon-byung, who also took part in the meeting, called the inspection part of the normalization of agricultural land use. He promised to make efforts to adopt by the end of the year a special law intended to support this work.
The main opposition People Power Party criticized the inspection, saying it is causing concern among farmers and may violate their property rights.
