Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryung announced today (October 14) regarding the follow-up measures to the comprehensive farmland investigation, saying, "If farmers wish, we will arrange temporary special measures to legalize customary farmland leases and agricultural facilities that were built without going through official authorization and licensing procedures."

Minister Song made the remarks during a meeting with village heads and farmers at the Hamyang County Office in Gyeongsangnam-do, where she explained the direction of the follow-up measures and institutional improvement plans stemming from the farmland survey.

She explained, "The farmland survey is not intended to punish farmers who diligently till the land," adding, "We are currently pushing for the enactment of a special act so that general issues arising from the reality of rural areas will not be subject to disposition procedures based on the results of this survey."

In particular, she repeatedly emphasized that inherited farmland, customary leases by elderly farmers, farmland owned by family clans or temples, unregistered inherited farmland, and farmlands difficult to farm such as landlocked plots or steep slopes are considered matters unrelated to speculation, and that no disposition obligations or compliance penalty surcharges will be imposed based on the results of this survey.

She also reaffirmed that consignment to the Farmland Bank is a matter of choice for farmers, not an obligation.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) plans to expand the purchase and consignment functions of the Farmland Bank for farmers who wish to lease or sell their farmland.

Minister Song stated, "Next year, we will pursue revisions to the Farmland Act to bridge the gap between rural customs and current laws, improving the system in a way that assists farmers in their agricultural activities."

The Ministry and the Korea Rural Community Corporation have been operating the Farmland Investigation Counseling Center (☎1811-8852) since October 12.

The counseling center checks for major types of speculation such as speculative farmland acquisition and illegal leasing, as well as whether cases fall under serious illegal conversion, while also guiding visitors on the government's follow-up measures and Farmland Bank programs.

Minister Song emphasized, "We take heavily to heart the fact that there was a lack of explanation regarding how farmlands would be handled after the survey, relative to the original intent of the farmland investigation," adding, "Going forward, we will more meticulously guide the public on the direction of government measures centered around the actual cases that worry farmers."

She also asked village heads to accurately communicate the government's follow-up measures to local residents and actively convey the opinions of farmers experiencing difficulties in the field.