Completion of Investigation on Japanese-Owned Properties... "Achievement of 5.4 Million ㎡ Nationalization"

The investigation project for the nationalization of real estate owned by Japanese individuals during the Japanese colonial period has been completed.

The Public Procurement Service recently announced on the 1st that it has completed the investigation project for the nationalization of real estate owned by Japanese individuals during the Japanese colonial period.

The project began in 2012 and continued until last year. Based on cadastral records from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, certified copies of registries from the Court Administration Office, and the "Collection of Names of Japanese Residents in Korea" from the National Archives, the project aimed to identify properties suspected to belong to Japanese individuals, institutions, and corporations.

Through this effort, 52,059 parcels of real estate owned by Japanese individuals were identified, of which 7,510 parcels were confirmed to be eligible for nationalization.

By last year, the Public Procurement Service had concurrently conducted the investigation and nationalized 5.4 million square meters (6,779 parcels) of land. This area is 1.9 times the size of Yeouido, and the official land price of the properties amounts to 159.6 billion KRW.

Currently, procedures for nationalization, such as public announcements of ownerless real estate, are underway for the remaining 750,000 square meters (731 parcels) of Japanese-owned real estate. The Public Procurement Service plans to complete the nationalization of these lands by the end of this year.

Efforts to organize real estate with Japanese-style ownership names on official registries, including land, forest land, and buildings, are also accelerating.

There are approximately 104,000 parcels of real estate with Japanese-style ownership names on official registries. The Public Procurement Service is currently investigating and nationalizing 33,875 parcels suspected to be properties subject to reversion.

Among these, investigations on 23,443 cases and nationalization of 8,016 square meters (53 parcels, with an official land price of 1.1 billion KRW) have been completed.

The remaining 10,432 parcels subject to the organization project of Japanese-style ownership names on official registries will undergo in-depth investigations promptly, with plans to complete the investigations by the end of this year.

Lee Jong-wook, Administrator of the Public Procurement Service, stated, “The nationalization of reverted properties is the government's rightful responsibility to eliminate the remnants of the Japanese colonial period, set history straight, and restore cadastral sovereignty. Even if the land is small, we will strive to find all traces of Japanese occupation and return our valuable assets to the state and the people.”

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