President Lee Jae MyungChosun Daily | 24 February 2026President Lee Jae Myung orders forced sales of unfarmed land to curb speculation
By Kim Tae-jun
President Lee Jae Myung ordered related ministries to conduct a full survey of uncultivated farmland nationwide and issue compliance orders and forced sale orders.
The president said at the Cabinet meeting on the 24th, “The Constitution states ‘farmers should own farmland,’ but there are unconstitutional acts. If someone buys land, farmland, saying they will farm it, but if they do not farm it, they are subject to a sale order, yet there have been no actual cases of such disposal,” he said. Farmers need a farmland acquisition qualification certificate to buy farmland, and if they do not farm it after purchase, they receive a compliance order, and if they fail to comply, a forced sale order is issued.
The president pointed out that excessive cost burdens for returning to farming or rural areas could be a root cause of regional population decline. He said, “Due to abnormally high real estate prices, even those wanting to return to farming or rural areas find it difficult to establish a foothold. Controlling real estate is a fundamental solution to various social issues, and we must also examine farmland.”
He added, “Regarding farmland, we need to adjust taxes, regulations, and finance so that holding farmland for real estate speculation or investment becomes ‘futile.’ We must lower land prices.” He emphasized, “Farmland management in our country is in chaos. It has become a target for speculation. If someone buys land saying they will farm it but does not, a sale order should be issued, but there are reportedly no such cases.”
During the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s report, when Minister Yun Ho-jung reported that 835 cases of illegal occupation of valleys nationwide were detected, the president said, “That cannot be true. Give them another chance to rectify, conduct an audit, and severely reprimand those responsible if any omissions are found.” He continued, “In Gyeonggi Province, I saw public officials turning a blind eye as they pass by. Give them another chance, severely reprimand those responsible for any omissions, and punish those involved in large-scale cases for dereliction of duty.”
