"Even Disposed Assets Will Be Recovered"... Pro-Japanese Property Committee Revived After 16 Years

[Anchor]

A legal body tasked with investigating and recovering the properties of pro-Japanese anti-national collaborators is being revived after 16 years. Even properties that have already been disposed of by the descendants of pro-Japanese figures will be subject to recovery. The recovered properties are planned to be used primarily for independence fighters of national merit.

Reporter Kim Deok-hyeon has the details.

[Reporter]

The first Pro-Japanese Property Investigation Committee was launched in 2006 during the participatory government and operated for four years.

It recovered 237.3 billion won in assets from 168 pro-Japanese figures.

Sixteen years have passed since then, and the government enacted a special law last June to re-establish a legal body to track down assets linked to pro-Japanese collaborators.

[President Lee Jae-myung: We will hold people strictly accountable for history. We will devote all of the state's capabilities to correcting the legacy of a distorted history and protecting the honor and lives of those who dedicated themselves to independence.]

The second Pro-Japanese Property Investigation Committee, to be launched through this special law, will re-investigate and deliberate on matters that were previously left unfinished.

It will also examine whether domestic land remaining under Japanese names constitutes pro-Japanese property.

When necessary, it can summon individuals to appear and provide testimony, and apply to the court for provisional attachment orders on suspicious properties.

Profits related to properties already disposed of by descendants of pro-Japanese figures will also be subject to recovery, and new regulations have been established to provide rewards to individuals who report pro-Japanese properties or provide relevant important information.

Minister of Justice Jeong Sung-ho stated, "We must build a righteous nation where shares unfairly acquired by selling out the country are returned to their rightful place," adding that at least 32.5 billion won in pro-Japanese property is expected to be recovered.

The pro-Japanese properties recovered in this manner will be used primarily for independence fighters of national merit.

Two months ago, the government launched an establishment preparation team consisting of 11 officials from related ministries, including the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, to formulate investigation plans.

The second Pro-Japanese Property Investigation Committee, which will later consist of nine members, is scheduled to officially launch this coming December and operate for a maximum of five years.

(Video Editing: Kim Jun-hee, Design: Kang Yun-jung, Jeon Yu-geun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.