Justice minister nominee Lee rebuffs allegations over illegal container on farmland

Allegations have emerged that Lee Yong-cheol, nominee for justice minister, illegally installed a container on farmland and falsely declared his assets. Lee's camp rebuffed the claims, saying the structure was a farm shed installed through proper legal procedures.

People Power Party lawmaker Ju Jin-woo held a press conference at the National Assembly on Monday, alleging that Lee had "illegally installed a container on farmland in Bonghyeon-ri, Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, in violation of the Building Act, and falsely declared the property as 'land with a building related to animals and plants' rather than 'farmland' when registering his assets as head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA)."

According to Ju, Lee purchased a plot of farmland in Bonghyeon-ri, Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, in May 2021 for 70 million won ($51,600). The land remains registered as farmland and does not appear to have any building listed on the Korea Land and Housing Corporation's real estate information map.

Ju alleged that a container without a building permit had nonetheless been installed on the site. Ju said the container was rusted and used only to store some materials, and was not being operated as a legitimate facility related to animals or plants.

"It appears the nominee falsely declared his assets as a scheme to sidestep suspicions of farmland speculation," Ju said. "At the time of the purchase, Lee was running a law office, and from November 2025 he has served as DAPA chief — circumstances that left him unable to farm the land himself. A thorough investigation is needed to determine whether this was for farming or for speculation."

Ju also noted that the farmland in question is adjacent to a country house site Lee purchased in 2016. That property and its lot were transferred to Lee's daughter in 2020, and Ju argued the farmland appears to be used in effect as a front yard for the country house.

"Using farmland attached to a country house essentially as a yard or garden is a typical form of speculation commonly seen near the Greater Seoul area," Ju said, urging that Lee be investigated immediately given that President Lee Jae Myung has pledged a comprehensive probe into farmland speculation near the metropolitan area.

In response, the preparation committee for Lee's confirmation hearing issued a press notice Monday afternoon, saying the structure had been lawfully registered as a farm shed in accordance with relevant regulations.

"The structure that some politicians are calling an 'illegal container' is a farm shed the nominee installed around November 2022 to store farming materials," the committee said. "It was legally registered and used in accordance with applicable regulations at the time."

However, the committee acknowledged that Lee had failed to file a renewal declaration within the required deadline after being appointed DAPA chief last November.

"Regardless of the circumstances, we believe this was the nominee's own oversight," the committee said, adding that Lee had recognized the lapse and was moving quickly to complete the renewal filing.

The committee also addressed the classification of the structure as a "facility related to animals and plants" in the asset declaration, explaining that the asset registration system had no separate category for farm sheds at the time, so the nearest available option was selected. The committee said the description field had been filled in with the words "temporary structure, farm shed" to make the nature of the building clear.