"Tracing All 32.5 Billion Won": Pro-Japanese Collaborators' Descendants Face Sweep of Hidden Wealth

1. Investigation Commission on Pro-Japanese Collaborators' Property Returns After 16-Year Hiatus

The Investigation Commission on Pro-Japanese Collaborators' Property, which ceased operations in 2010, is slated to resume activities this December, 16 years later.

The revised Special Act on the Reversion of Property of Pro-Japanese Collaborators to the State will take effect on December 3. The government is making preparations with the goal of launching the second-term investigative commission in time for the law's enforcement.

This relaunch goes beyond merely reviving the past committee. This is because the law now explicitly stipulates that not only pro-Japanese collaborator property itself, but also the proceeds received from the disposal of such property, are subject to forfeiture to the state.

The first-term Investigation Commission on Pro-Japanese Collaborators' Property operated for four years, from July 2006 to July 2010. During this period, it decided to revert 2,359 parcels of land owned by 168 pro-Japanese collaborators to the state. At the time, this was valued at approximately 237.3 billion won based on market prices.

The commission also rendered confirmation decisions regarding pro-Japanese collaborator assets targeting 24 descendants of collaborators in connection with properties already disposed of to third parties. However, after the commission disbanded in 2010, the dedicated statutory body to investigate new collaborator assets ex officio and decide on state reversion vanished. Although the Ministry of Justice continued lawsuits and tracked certain assets based on data confirmed by the first-term commission, a void emerged in systematic investigative capabilities.

Critics noted that during this period, as assets underwent multiple rounds of inheritance, sales, and name changes, proving the subject of recovery and the recoverable amounts became increasingly difficult.

2. Investigating Liquidated Assets: Core of the New Special Act

To address this institutional void, the Special Act on the Reversion of Property of Pro-Japanese Collaborators was revised. The amendment passed the plenary session of the National Assembly on May 7, was promulgated in June, and will take effect on December 3.

The core element is the explicit codification in law that proceeds received from disposing of pro-Japanese collaborator properties are subject to forfeiture to the state. Even if descendants have already sold land or buildings classified as pro-Japanese collaborator property, the institutional grounds have been bolstered to investigate the circumstances and proceeds of the sale and connect them to recovery procedures.

This does not mean recovering sales proceeds was entirely impossible in the past. The state was previously able to file lawsuits under the Civil Act, such as claims for the return of unjust enrichment, demanding the return of sales proceeds from pro-Japanese collaborator property.

Indeed, in April 2026, before the enforcement of the revised act, the Ministry of Justice won a complete victory in an unjust enrichment lawsuit demanding the return of approximately 53 million won in sales proceeds of pro-Japanese collaborator property against the descendants of collaborator Im Seon-jun.

The significance of the new law lies in moving beyond the previous approach that relied on individual civil lawsuits, clearly defining the proceeds from disposing of pro-Japanese collaborator property as subject to state forfeiture under the special act, and re-establishing a statutory body to investigate them.

A system to pay monetary rewards to individuals who report pro-Japanese collaborator property or provide crucial information necessary for investigations will also be introduced.

Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho stated on the occasion of the 81st National Liberation Day, "With the launch of the second-term Investigation Commission on Pro-Japanese Collaborators' Property, we expect to recover at least 32.5 billion won worth of pro-Japanese collaborator property."

The 32.5 billion won figure is not a finalized recovery amount, but an estimated scale presented based on the targets currently identified by the Ministry of Justice.

The pro-Japanese collaborator property reverted to the state will be utilized on a priority basis for projects honoring independence patriots and their bereaved families, as well as supporting their livelihood stability. Specific management and disposal methods will be determined in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and administrative procedures.

3. Hurdles Remain Despite Strengthened Law

Will the launch of the second-term commission make it possible to trace and recover all pro-Japanese collaborator assets? Reality is not that simple.

Proving that a property was acquired as compensation for pro-Japanese collaboration requires verifying land and forestry survey registers nearly a century old, closed registry records, and inheritance and sale archives. When properties have gone through multiple inheritances, sales, and name changes, the task of tracing the movement routes and disposal proceeds becomes far more complex.

The rights of third parties who acquired property in good faith must also be protected. Furthermore, there are limitations in uncovering assets if descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators conceal the property or the sales proceeds.

The second-term commission can demand the submission of materials and statements, and apply to courts for provisional preservation orders on suspicious assets. However, it does not possess compulsory investigative powers like law enforcement agencies, such as search and seizure. Even if the commission decides on state reversion, there is a high likelihood of follow-up administrative or civil litigation if the parties challenge the decision.

The relationship with past finalized court rulings is also a critical issue.

In a December 2024 en banc decision, the Supreme Court ruled that there are limitations on the state reasserting civil ownership based on the revised act over specific property whose state reversion decision by the commission had already been revoked and finalized through administrative litigation.

However, this ruling does not uniformly prohibit reinvestigating all past lost cases or block the recovery of newly discovered pro-Japanese collaborator assets. Legal determinations may vary depending on whether the asset is the exact same property whose revocation of reversion was finalized, or whether it constitutes newly discovered property or disposal proceeds.

Therefore, it is difficult to expect the second-term commission to recover all pro-Japanese collaborator properties. Actual achievements will likely hinge on how accurately newly discovered assets and sales proceeds can be proven, and how the boundaries between complex ownership relationships and past finalized rulings are defined.

4. 7.8 Billion Won from Yi Hae-seung, 53 Million Won from Im Seon-jun: Ongoing Recovery Lawsuits

Separate from preparations for the commission's launch, the Ministry of Justice is proceeding with asset recovery lawsuits against descendants of key pro-Japanese collaborators.

The Ministry of Justice filed an unjust enrichment lawsuit demanding the return of approximately 7.8 billion won that descendants of pro-Japanese collaborator Yi Hae-seung acquired by selling 31 parcels of land in Howon-dong, Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province.

In a lawsuit demanding the return of approximately 53 million won in sales proceeds filed against the descendants of Im Seon-jun, one of the "Seven Traitors of Jeongmi," a full ruling in favor of the state was finalized in April 2026.

These cases illustrate that demands for the return of sales proceeds through civil litigation were possible even under the previous legal framework. At the same time, they demonstrate the limitations of relying solely on individual lawsuits to systematically uncover new pro-Japanese collaborator properties and trace their disposal paths.

5. A New Test for Korea's Reckoning with Historical Injustice

The recovery of pro-Japanese collaborator property is a notable transitional justice mechanism in that the state legally investigates and reclaims economic gains accumulated through colonial collaboration.

Its distinctive feature is that settling historical injustices does not stop at establishing historical accountability, but extends to tracing the ownership and transfer processes of unjustly accumulated wealth. Overseas, various historical property recovery systems also exist, including the confiscation of assets of Nazi collaborators, the restitution of Holocaust assets, and the recovery of illicit wealth amassed by dictatorships.

The ultimate significance of Korea's system will likely be evaluated through the scale of assets uncovered by the second-term commission, the fairness of its investigative process, and the final rulings of the courts.

6. 9-Member Body Operating for up to 5 Years

The second-term commission will consist of nine members, including one chairperson and two standing commissioners.

Its term of operation is three years from the date the commission is constituted, with a single two-year extension permitted, allowing for a maximum operational period of five years.

On June 22, the Ministry of Justice launched a preparatory task force for the establishment of the Investigation Commission on Pro-Japanese Collaborators' Property, headed by prosecutor Lee Young-chang. The preparatory group consists of 11 personnel dispatched from related government bodies, including the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, and the Korea Forest Service.

Until the commission's launch, the preparatory team will establish relevant regulations and formulate investigation plans and detailed procedures.

Looking ahead, three points warrant attention: First, how concretely the investigative standards and evidentiary procedures for determining pro-Japanese collaborator property and disposal proceeds are formulated. Second, how the commission will distinguish between identical properties whose reversion decisions were revoked in past administrative lawsuits and newly discovered assets or disposal proceeds. Third, whether the commission can translate its political and historical symbolism into tangible recovery results and procedural fairness.

Recovering pro-Japanese collaborator property is not merely an act of retrying the past.

It is a fundamental question of how to remember and honor those who sacrificed for the country, and to what extent today's laws and institutions can rectify illicit economic gains gained through colonial collaboration.

The commission, launching once again after 16 years, must now answer that question with concrete investigations and legal results.


Deep Dive Q&A
Q1. What is the biggest difference between the first and second-term Investigation Commission on Pro-Japanese Collaborators' Property?

The most significant difference is that proceeds received from disposing of pro-Japanese collaborator properties are now explicitly designated as subject to state forfeiture under the special act. Previously, the state could seek the return of sales proceeds through civil lawsuits, such as unjust enrichment claims. However, the revised law clearly defines disposal proceeds as forfeiture targets, while establishing both a statutory commission to investigate them and a whistleblower reward system. Although the second-term commission can demand records and statements and request provisional preservation orders from courts, it does not possess compulsory investigative powers like criminal law enforcement authorities.

Q2. Can all properties that have already been sold or transferred to third parties be recovered?

Not all of them can be recovered. It must be proven that the property was acquired as compensation for pro-Japanese collaboration, along with tracing the flow of disposal proceeds. The rights of third parties who acquired property in good faith must also be safeguarded, and tracing itself can be difficult if sales proceeds have been transferred multiple times or concealed. Reasserting rights over the exact same property whose state reversion decision was revoked and finalized in administrative litigation may also face constraints. However, this does not mean newly discovered properties or separate disposal proceeds cannot be investigated.

Q3. How will the recovered pro-Japanese collaborator property and sales proceeds be used?

Pro-Japanese collaborator property reverted to the state will be utilized preferentially for programs honoring independence patriots and their families, as well as promoting their livelihood stability and welfare. Real estate may undergo management and disposal procedures, with specific utilization methods decided in accordance with relevant laws and administrative procedures.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.