Police to Summon Ki Sung-yong's Father Today for Alleged Violation of Farmland Act

Former Happiness Agency Chief Denies Using Internal Information in Additional Investigation

Ki Sung-yueng. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Ki Young-ok, former Gwangju FC director and father of FC Seoul player Ki Sung-yueng, who is suspected of violating the Farmland Act, is scheduled to be summoned by the police on the 28th.

According to the Government Joint Special Investigation Headquarters (Special Investigation Headquarters), Ki is expected to appear at the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit of the Gwangju Police Agency as a suspect for questioning. Although the initial plan was to summon him at 10 a.m., Ki reportedly informed that he would appear in the afternoon due to personal reasons.

The Ki family purchased about ten parcels of land, including rice paddies and fields, around a park in Geumho-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, between 2015 and 2016. The police are investigating the case on suspicion of violating the Farmland Act, considering that Ki Sung-yueng was playing in the English Premier League (EPL) at the time and realistically had neither the intention nor the ability to farm the land. Ki Young-ok reportedly explained, "The land was purchased to establish a soccer center named after Ki Sung-yueng," and expressed that it is unfair to be accused of buying it for speculative purposes.

The police are expected to verify suspicions that Ki Young-ok submitted a false agricultural management plan, which is required when purchasing farmland. A Special Investigation Headquarters official stated regarding whether Ki Sung-yueng will be summoned, "It will be reviewed after the investigation of his father is completed."

Additional summons and investigations were also conducted for Lee, a former head of the Administrative City Construction Agency (Happy City Agency), who is the highest-ranking current or former public official under investigation by the Special Investigation Headquarters. The Police Agency’s Major Crime Investigation Division summoned Lee for about eight hours starting at 10 a.m. the previous day. Prior to this, on the 26th, additional searches and seizures were conducted at the Happy City Agency.

A Special Investigation Headquarters official said, "We plan to compare and analyze the materials secured through the searches and seizures with the testimonies to review whether to take legal action." However, Lee reportedly denied the allegations of using insider information during this investigation as well.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.