A government panel tasked with reclaiming assets tied to pro-Japanese collaborators is set to resume operations for the first time in 16 years by the end of this year. The reconstituted body will cast a wider net than its predecessor, targeting not only properties still held by descendants of collaborators but also the proceeds from assets those descendants have already sold.
According to legal sources, the Special Act on State Confiscation of Pro-Japanese Collaborators' Assets is set to take effect Dec. 3.
The law was drafted to address a legal gap that emerged after the first investigation committee, established in 2006, was dissolved in 2010, leaving no statutory body empowered to identify newly discovered collaborator assets.
To prevent attempts to conceal such assets, the law explicitly designates the proceeds from any disposal of collaborator-linked property by descendants as subject to reclamation. It also introduces a reward provision for those who report or expose hidden collaborator assets.
According to the Ministry of Justice and official white papers, the first committee spent four years — from July 2006 to July 2010 — ordering the state confiscation of 2,359 parcels of land linked to 168 collaborators.
For 24 descendants of collaborators who had already transferred such properties to third parties, the committee issued formal findings confirming the assets' collaborator origins.
The total value of assets reclaimed by the state through that process was 237.3 billion won ($168 million) at the time of confiscation.
Since then, the Ministry of Justice has continued to handle litigation related to collaborator assets identified by the first committee.
In October last year, the ministry filed a suit seeking the return of unjust enrichment against descendants of collaborator Lee Hae-seung, demanding 7.8 billion won they received from selling 31 parcels of land in Howon-dong, Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province.
The ministry launched a preparatory team for the new committee on June 22, formally beginning groundwork for its establishment.
The 11-member team draws staff from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans, and the Korea Forest Service. Prosecutor Lee Yeong-chang, a graduate of the 33rd class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, leads the team. Members are tasked with drafting relevant regulations and drawing up investigation plans before the committee formally launches.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho wrote on Facebook on Saturday — the 81st Liberation Day — that he expects the second committee to reclaim at least 32.5 billion won in collaborator assets once it is up and running.
"We must build a just nation where those who gave everything for their country are respected, and where the ill-gotten gains of those who sold out their country for wealth and honor are returned to their rightful place," Jeong wrote. "I will fulfill my duty to set history right in the spirit of Liberation and to make all citizens proud of an independent Republic of Korea."
hanimomo@heraldcorp.com
