'Move your parents' graves first': PPP lawmaker targets Lee over farmland burial allegations

People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk visited the burial site of President Lee Jae Myung's parents and urged the president to relocate the graves, alleging the site violates the Farmland Act.

Lee posted photos of her visit to the burial site in Bonghwa-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, on Saturday, writing on SNS that "this is farmland where graves cannot be placed."

She added that local authorities in Bonghwa-gun had issued restoration orders three times — in 2023, 2024 and 2025 — and that the president's family had continued to maintain the graves while paying only the associated fines.

Lee also questioned the true purpose of a construction project listed as "farm road paving" near the site.

She said work appeared to be underway to make the burial site permanent, noting that road paving was in progress about 100 meters in front of the graves and that stone retaining walls were being built to create a sturdy path.

She went on to say that palm-fiber mats had been laid in front of the graves, enough to prevent slipping even in winter snow, and asked: "The burial plot is registered not under Lee Jae Myung's name but under his brother's — will he claim he bears no responsibility?"

Citing a recent controversy over the government's comprehensive farmland inspection, Lee said the president "should move his parents' graves before scrutinizing farmers' land for illegal use or speculation."

"A grave built on farmland is illegal," she said. "Is the president's family above the law? Are they going to hold their ground because it's the burial site that made him president?"

Under South Korean law, farmland must in principle be used for agricultural production, and establishing a grave on farmland requires a legal review under relevant statutes. However, the specifics of Bonghwa-gun's restoration orders, whether fines were levied and paid, and the precise legal status of the burial site have yet to be independently confirmed.