The People Power Party continued its daily offensive against the Lee Jae-myung administration's comprehensive farmland survey, demanding that "the blanket farmland survey must be halted immediately."

Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok remarked at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly today (September 17), "How futile and absurd is this survey, which was launched under the pretext of catching those who treat farmland as a speculative asset?"

Jang asserted, "Our party has pointed out numerous issues on the ground, such as the practical hardships facing elderly and tenant farmers, the disappearance of farmland transactions, and the collapse of prices, and has demanded that the comprehensive survey be stopped," adding, "Yet the Democratic Party brazenly lashed out at us, claiming we were 'distorting facts.'"

He went on to emphasize, "Now, they say they will come up with supplementary measures. With Chuseok approaching and farmers' anger boiling over, they must be scared," adding, "While it is a relief that they are fixing it now, they must first apologize to the farmers. It is time to abandon the concept of ownership value and focus on its use value so that farmland is used as farmland."

Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik stressed, "The trigger for this farmland turmoil was a single casual remark tossed out by President Lee Jae-myung during a Cabinet meeting. He issued an extreme directive stating that those who do not farm should not be allowed to own farmland," adding, "The fundamental cause of this crisis is the president's extreme perspective, which views all real estate issues through the frame of speculators without having any understanding of rural realities."

Supreme Council member Shin Dong-wook said, "I worry about how many deep bruises this farmland survey—a quintessential example of desk-bound administration completely detached from conditions in the provinces—is inflicting on the hearts of our farmers."

Supreme Council member Cho Kwang-han stated, "This farmland survey serves as proof of how administration can degenerate into cruel violence when the state stops thinking about the people."

Lee Yeon-won, head of the Deoksan Agricultural Cooperative and a farmer from Yesan, South Chungcheong Province, attended the Supreme Council meeting that day and criticized the problems of the farmland survey aimed at 'eradicating speculation,' saying, "These days, farmers and especially local economies cannot execute real estate transactions at all."

The cooperative head raised his voice, saying, "Even though I have told our members for several years to 'quickly liquidate your properties to prepare for retirement,' they say, 'How can we (prepare for retirement) when nothing sells?' They only sigh, saying that while they are willing to give it to anyone who needs it, there is no one to receive it," adding, "Imposing regulations now is abandoning farmland and abandoning the provinces."
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)