The South Korean government is launching a first-ever comprehensive survey of all farmland nationwide to root out agricultural land speculation. A large-scale two-year inspection mobilizing drones and artificial intelligence (AI) is set to begin, signaling structural changes across the farmland market.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Wednesday it finalized the "Farmland Comprehensive Survey Implementation Plan" through a government-ruling party consultation and will begin the first phase of the survey next month. The survey will span two years starting in 2026, covering approximately 1.95 million hectares of total farmland.
This marks the first comprehensive farmland survey in the 78 years since the establishment of the South Korean government. The measure aims to address the erosion of the constitutional principle of "land to the tiller" and rampant farmland speculation. President Lee Jae-myung previously ordered the survey at a Cabinet meeting in February, stating that "farmland has become a target of speculation."
The survey will proceed in phases. The first phase targets 1.15 million hectares of farmland acquired since the enactment of the Farmland Act in 1996. Suspect parcels will be screened through administrative records, satellite imagery, drone surveillance and AI analysis, with on-site inspections running from May through December. The second phase will expand the scope to include 800,000 hectares of farmland acquired before 1996.
Inspection items include ownership status, actual cultivation, fallow status and illegal land-use conversion. Administrative penalties will be imposed immediately upon detection of violations. The government plans to designate and intensively inspect 720,000 hectares classified as "top 10 speculation risk groups," including farmland in the capital region, land transaction permit zones, and parcels owned by non-local individuals and corporations. This is because farmland acquired for speculative purposes without actual cultivation is believed to be concentrated in the capital region. The average actual transaction price for farmland nationwide stands at 177,000 won per pyeong, while Gyeonggi Province recorded the highest level at 607,000 won per pyeong. This is approximately 7.4 times more expensive than South Jeolla Province, the cheapest at 82,000 won per pyeong.
"Speculative demand for capital region farmland is substantial and prices are high," said Yoon Won-seup, Agricultural Policy Director at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. "There is a possibility of some price corrections following the survey."
A workforce of 5,000 personnel will be deployed for the survey. A joint task force of relevant ministries, local governments and the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service will conduct on-site inspections.
