A political battle over farmland ownership is intensifying after President Lee Jae-myung announced plans to regulate speculative agricultural land holdings.
The People Power Party named Seongdong District Mayor Jeong Won-oh as the first target for a comprehensive investigation, while pressing for the probe to extend to some cabinet members. Jeong and the ruling party are pushing back, calling the land in question "legally acquired decades ago."
"For the forced farmland sale policy to gain legitimacy, it must apply strict and consistent standards and set an example by punishing even allies," PPP Chief Spokesperson Park Sung-hoon said on May 25. He emphasized that Jeong should be the first subject of a comprehensive investigation.
The controversy erupted after President Lee cited the constitutional principle of "land to the tiller" at a cabinet meeting the previous day, ordering a comprehensive investigation into speculative farmland and consideration of forced sale orders if necessary.
PPP Rep. Kim Jae-seop criticized on social media: "Jeong Won-oh bought 600 pyeong each of rice paddies and dry fields at ages 0 and 2, before he could even walk. Based on public records, he's either a farmer with 57 years of experience or a speculator as President Lee describes."
PPP Rep. Joo Jin-woo expanded the offensive to the cabinet, naming key ministers previously accused of farmland speculation as investigation targets two through five.
Jeong immediately responded on social media. "This farmland is small-scale land my grandparents purchased about 55 years ago to farm, registered under my name as the eldest grandson," he said. "A simple fact-check shows this is not illegal, and claims of speculation cannot stand."
The ruling party rallied to his defense. Democratic Party Rep. Chae Hyun-il explained: "Current Farmland Act provisions requiring self-cultivation and ownership restrictions took effect on January 1, 1996. Land acquired before then is not subject to retroactive self-cultivation requirements or ownership restrictions, allowing legal ownership, leasing, and rent-free use even without direct farming."
He added: "The land is landlocked terraced paddies, and despite multiple attempts to sell, it remains undisposed."
President Lee responded to opposition criticism calling his remarks "communist thinking." He said: "The person who enshrined the land-to-the-tiller principle in the constitution and forcibly acquired land from non-farming landlords to distribute to farmers was President Syngman Rhee. President Syngman Rhee was not a communist."