[Editorial] Government Retreats Amid Farmers' Opposition to Comprehensive Land Survey

As controversy over the comprehensive land survey intensified, the government and ruling party stepped back on the 21st. They agreed to enact a special measures law this year to allow for either deferring penalties or legalizing violations of the Agricultural Land Act that are not motivated by speculation. On February 24, President Lee Jae-myung pointed out that "agricultural land has become a target for speculation" and instructed relevant ministries to review plans for a comprehensive survey. Since the current administration took office, it has repeatedly pushed through excessive regulations only to offer patchwork solutions when backlash grows.

The government is conducting its first-ever comprehensive land survey since the establishment of the Republic of Korea, in accordance with the constitutional principle of "cultivators owning farmland." According to a preliminary survey completed by the end of July, 2.84 million out of 10.13 million surveyed plots (27%) were classified as suspected violations of the Agricultural Land Act — one in every four plots. The Agricultural Land Act amendment passed through the National Assembly in May, which strengthened local governments' penalty orders into mandatory provisions, further fueled anxiety. Those who receive a penalty order but fail to dispose of their land must pay an enforcement fee equal to 25% of the land's value annually.

In rural areas, fears spread that agricultural land could become subject to disposal due to inheritance or advanced age making direct farming difficult, as well as long-standing lease arrangements. Public outcry also intensified at Nongshim (). As the controversy expanded, the government and ruling party eventually proposed corrective measures. They decided to allow illegal conversion of agricultural land to be legalized for the first time in 38 years since 1988. However, strict penalties will be applied in cases where false farming plans were submitted within designated land transaction approval zones to engage in unauthorized fallowing or illegal leasing, or when agricultural corporations acquired farmland only to engage in real estate business.

This incident resulted from the government rushing ahead with a comprehensive land survey under strengthened agricultural land laws without anticipating the severe fallout, then retreating when public backlash proved stronger than expected. To resolve farmland issues entangled by inheritance and aging under the principle of "cultivators owning farmland," an accurate assessment of the current reality must come first. Uniformly imposing regulations disconnected from on-the-ground conditions is unacceptable. Rural areas are facing a shrinking farming population due to aging, with no new residents moving in, causing agricultural land prices to continuously decline since 2021 and agricultural land collateral loans to become increasingly risky. As seen in the comprehensive land survey, creating excessive regulations first and then reversing them when public opinion turns against them undermines trust in policy itself. Once broken, trust is harder to restore than any regulation.