PPP Blasts Lee Jae-myung Administration's Farmland Probe, Saying 'Land to the Tiller' Principle Hurts Farmers

▲ People Power Party Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik speaks during a floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on September 18.

The People Power Party (PPP) continued its offensive on Friday, September 18, against the comprehensive farmland inspection being conducted by the Lee Jae-myung administration, calling it a "policy that drives farmers into being treated as speculators."

Kim Mi-ae, the party's senior deputy floor leader for policy, said during a floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly, "While speculation must be strictly punished, uniform administrative measures that ignore rural realities must not violate the property rights of innocent farmers and citizens," urging the government to "halt hasty inspections and unreasonable disposition orders."

Representative Yoon Yong-geun, whose constituency covers Gongju, Buyeo, and Cheongyang in South Chungcheong Province, held a press conference at the National Assembly's press center, criticizing that "the government's farmland probe is rattling rural communities." He added, "Even lifelong farmers are being pushed overnight into becoming 'suspected violators of the Farmland Act.'"

He went on to say, "The reality of rural provincial areas is completely different from that of the capital area. Even if farmers put farmland up for sale, there are no buyers, and even if they try to lease it, it is difficult to do so comfortably under the current Farmland Act." He stressed, "Should all innocent farmers and citizens who own farmland be choked just to catch a handful of speculators? The 'land to the tiller' principle must be redefined to fit today's rural reality."

Five-term Representative Yoon Sang-hyun also wrote in a Facebook post titled "Lee Jae-myung's 'Land to the Tiller' Principle That Bruises Farmers' Hearts," saying, "Innocent farmers should not be forced into distress over disposition burdens and enforcement penalties." He called on the government to "meticulously distinguish between farmland acquired for speculation and land resulting from population aging, inheritance, and long-standing rural customs, and first prepare measures to ensure innocent farmers do not suffer damage. Do not bruise farmers' hearts with desk-bound theory under the banner of the 'land to the tiller' principle."

Representative Lee Sang-hwi, a member of the parliamentary Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, also voiced strong criticism during the floor strategy meeting, remarking, "Things in rural areas are going from bad to worse, dealing with the comprehensive farmland inspection on top of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)." He said, "Children who moved to the cities are grieving over real estate, while elderly couples remaining in their hometowns are deepening their sorrows over fears that their fields will be taken away."

Regarding the CPTPP, Representative Lee emphasized, "Before rushing discussions to join, the government must transparently disclose the capability assessment for the agricultural sector and first prepare measures for damages, quarantine, and food security. There should neither be market opening without countermeasures nor trade policies without farmers."

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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