As anxieties grow among farmers over the nationwide comprehensive farmland survey—the first in 78 years—fearing it is a move to force land sales and have the government buy them up at bargain prices, Cheong Wa Dae has stepped up to directly address the concerns.
Lee Young-su, presidential secretary for agriculture, livestock, and fisheries, appeared on the YouTube broadcast "Fact Bangatgan" today (September 22) and denied rumors of forced sales, stating, "If you don't want to sell, you don't have to."
The government has been conducting a comprehensive survey of all agricultural land nationwide since last May.
The target includes approximately 1.36 million hectares of farmland acquired since the enforcement of the Farmland Act in 1996.
As a result of the basic survey conducted until the end of July, 27 percent of about 10.13 million parcels were classified as having potential violations of the Farmland Act.
However, this does not mean that all 27 percent are illegal farmlands or subject to disposal.
In-depth investigations, including on-site inspections, are currently underway to determine actual violations.
Cheong Wa Dae explained that the purpose of this survey is not to dispose of farmland belonging to ordinary farmers, but to screen out speculative farmland.
It noted that main targets for disposal include farmland acquired in land transaction permission zones, jointly acquired through auctions or similar means, and farmland acquired through fraudulent agricultural corporations that has been illegally leased or left fallow.
It clarified that cases where farming was quit due to old age or health issues, or inherited farmland, are different.
The explanation is that private leasing is permitted if the owner is 60 or older and has farmed directly for five years or more, and inherited farmland of less than 1 hectare can also be entrusted.
It also stated that claims about disposal notices already being sent out as a result of the comprehensive survey are untrue.
Secretary Lee said, "Not a single disposal notice has been issued due to the 2026 comprehensive farmland survey."
Regarding claims that the government intends to purchase farmland at dirt-cheap prices, it explained the policy is to buy ordinary farmland at market value and speculative farmland at publicly assessed land prices.
In addition, addressing claims that farmland prices have dropped due to the comprehensive survey, it revealed that farmland transaction volume increased by 2.2 percent and prices fell by 4.4 percent this year, explaining that compared to the average annual drop of 9 percent following the LH speculation scandal in 2021, the decline has actually narrowed.
While apologizing for causing anxiety among farmers, Cheong Wa Dae emphasized that the purpose of the comprehensive survey is to weed out speculative farmland and improve the farmland system to fit reality.
(Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Lee Yu-jin | Design by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)
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