Geochang-gun, Agricultural Land Use Survey Promotion

Focused Inspection on Newly Acquired Farmland and Farmland Owned by Agricultural Corporations Over the Past 5 Years

Geochang County Office building exterior view

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Geochang-gun, Gyeongnam Province, is conducting a utilization status survey of farmland within the jurisdiction until December 31.

The farmland utilization status survey is an administrative investigation to verify facts related to ownership, transactions, use, and conversion of farmland, and has been mandated to be conducted annually starting this year.

The survey targets farmland within land transaction permission zones, farmland owned by agricultural corporations, foreigners, and overseas Koreans, and farmland for which farmland acquisition qualification certificates were issued in the past five years (2017?2021).

Additionally, farmland acquired in the past five years (2017?2021) by persons without an address in Geochang-gun or adjacent cities, counties, or autonomous districts where the farmland is located is also subject to the survey, as well as farmland acquired jointly in the past five years (2017?2021). The investigation will cover unauthorized fallow, illegal leasing, and whether the farmland owner is engaged in agricultural management and any illegal conversion.

In particular, for agricultural corporations, not only the status of agricultural management but also compliance with farmland ownership requirements will be inspected. For agricultural company corporations, at least one-third of the executives with business execution rights (registered directors) must be farmers.

If violations of the Farmland Act are confirmed as a result of the farmland utilization status survey, administrative measures such as imposition of farmland disposal obligations and restoration orders will be taken along with prosecution.

Park Seung-jin, director of the Agricultural Technology Center, said, “Through this farmland utilization status survey, we will strengthen post-management after farmland acquisition to establish order under the Farmland Act and continuously manage farmland to prevent it from becoming a target of speculation.”

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