Exclusive: Over 60% of Japanese Colonial-Era Properties Left Neglected, Consecutive Losses in Lawsuits

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During the Japanese colonial period, land and property owned by Japanese institutions or individuals were called "enemy property," or "jeoksan." While the principle is for these properties to revert to the state, many remain unsettled and unmanaged even after liberation. The government entrusted the Korea Asset Management Corporation (KAMIC) with their management, but it has been confirmed that more than 60 percent of these enemy properties are effectively neglected under "restricted use" status. It has also been found that consecutive losses in related lawsuits have resulted in ownership being transferred away from the state.

Reporter Ha Jeongyeon has this exclusive report.

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We checked the old land registries and certified copies of the register for plots classified as enemy properties in Jung-gu and Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.

The original owners are listed with Japanese-style names such as Otani Ryuji and Yoshikawa Kokusaburo.

The Korea Asset Management Corporation is entrusted with managing or disposing of these enemy properties, which are state-reverted assets.

For these enemy properties, the state must sign sales or lease contracts with private citizens or levy penalties for unauthorized occupation.

However, according to data obtained by SBS from the corporation, out of 1,026 plots of enemy properties subject to commissioned management, a staggering 62 percent were found to be in a "restricted use" status with no economic utilization.

The problem is that in many cases, these properties have been neglected due to delayed investigations and recoveries.

Although the corporation is required to conduct on-site inspections of enemy properties and manage the ledgers at least once a year, the implementation rate for actual condition surveys has remained at just the 30 percent level each year.

Furthermore, if a private party occupies a property without authorization for 20 years, the government loses ownership. Therefore, steps must be taken to interrupt the statute of limitations beforehand by signing lease contracts or imposing penalties, but even this is not being properly enforced.

The corporation is currently tracking 64 unauthorized occupied enemy property plots, and it was confirmed that the collection rate for penalties imposed over the past five years stood at only around 20 percent.

There were 16 recent cases where the corporation lost ownership lawsuits related to enemy properties and other reverted assets. Five of these losses were due to the recognition of the statute of limitations for adverse possession, meaning the 20-year period had already passed.

[Interview: Kim Yong-man / Member, National Assembly Political Affairs Committee (Democratic Party of Korea): Even though issuing just a single notice could ensure their management as our national assets, such losses to the national treasury are occurring.]

As the remaining occupancy periods continue to be fulfilled even now, there are growing concerns that a significant number of additional plots could face potential defeats and transfer state ownership, pointing to an urgent need for active management of enemy properties.

(Video Reported by Kim Se-kyung | Video Edited by Won Hyung-hee | Graphics by Kim Yeji)

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