During the comprehensive parliamentary audit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and other related bodies held at the National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee today (October 22), the ruling and opposition parties clashed again over the government's comprehensive survey on farmland.

As the People Power Party once again sharpened its criticism, calling the farmland survey a "hasty push" that ignores rural realities, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea defended the purpose of the survey and emphasized the need to prepare institutional complementary measures.

Representative Lee Seong-gwon of the People Power Party criticized it, saying, "It is a joint product of the president's illusory perception of rural realities and the agriculture ministry's hasty push," adding, "It is like charging with spears at farmers who are purely farming, treating them as speculators."

Representative Lee Yang-soo of the same party also pointed out, "Even though farmland transactions have plunged, delinquency rates have increased, and farmers' sentiment is boiling over, the minister does not acknowledge any wrongdoing," urging, "Instead of only listening to presidential office aides from the Korean Peasants League (Jeonnong), go meet farmers on the ground directly."

In response, Democratic Party Representative Lee Jae-gwan emphasized, "The purpose of the comprehensive farmland survey is to identify and compile data on the scale of farmland ownership and patterns of farming operations," adding, "There should be no disposition for remediable violations, such as customary and non-speculative leases, that are not clearly for speculative purposes."

He continued, "A special measures act is needed to provide exceptions that legally convert or rationalize conventional non-speculative leases or land use identified during the survey process," checking the agriculture ministry's willingness to pursue such measures.

Meanwhile, Representative Kang Seung-gyu of the People Power Party drew attention by bringing a vase containing both domestic and imported roses and chrysanthemums into the meeting room and asking Minister Song to identify the domestic flowers herself.

Regarding the ratification motion for the Korea-Ecuador Strategic Economic Cooperation Agreement (SECA) pending in the National Assembly, he rebuked, "Looking at the government's impact assessment report, it stated that the production value of flowers would decrease by only an annual average of 1 million won," adding, "Asking the National Assembly to ratify it with a sloppy report without properly establishing damage countermeasures is deceiving the National Assembly."

(Photo: Yonhap News)