'Probe results should be used to punish clear speculation,' Kwon says, pushing back at opposition
Jang Dong-hyeok calls for immediate halt to survey, saying it ensnares innocent farmers
Kwon Chil-seung, policy chief of the Democratic Party of Korea, urged the government Thursday to ensure that law-abiding farmers are not harmed by its nationwide farmland survey, acknowledging that "there are indeed farmers who feel inconvenienced" by the probe.
"I hope the government will do everything in its power to make sure that upstanding farmers and citizens do not suffer any unnecessary harm," Kwon said at a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly. He added that survey findings should be used, as originally intended, to punish clear cases of farmland speculation, while minor violations stemming from ordinary farming practices should be addressed through guidance and regulatory reform rather than punishment.
Kwon said the farmland survey aims to uphold the constitutional principle that farmland should be owned by those who till it, crack down on speculation, and help farmers make efficient use of their land. He also issued a stern warning against what he called the People Power Party's "persistent distortion of facts and baseless sophistry" regarding the ongoing government survey.
He added that the government and ruling party would do their utmost to stabilize farmland prices, including through the farmland bank's land purchase program.
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok had called on Wednesday for an immediate halt to the survey. "Without mincing words, the comprehensive farmland survey must be stopped right now," Jang wrote on Facebook, arguing that the government should listen fully to public opinion and draw up proper measures, including legislative reform.
Jang had also criticized the survey earlier, saying it effectively brands elderly farmers as speculators simply for being unable to work their fields due to illness or personal circumstances. He also took aim at the government's decision to recruit young part-time workers to conduct on-site inspections and raise the whistleblower reward tenfold to 15 million won ($11,000), saying the move was aimed at "catching innocent farmers."
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