Handonghun "Rhee Syngman Land Reform, a Decisive Scene That Changed Our History"

On the 15th at the Korea Chamber of Commerce Jeju Forum Lecture
An Opportunity to Change History with Immigration Policy Like Land Reform

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon is giving a lecture at the '46th Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jeju Forum' held at the Haevichi Hotel Resort in Seogwipo-si, Jeju on the 15th. Photo by Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon stated that the land reform under the Rhee Syngman administration laid the foundation for South Korea's economic growth and emphasized the need to find new growth engines through changes in immigration policy.

On the 15th, during a lecture at the '46th Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jeju Forum' held at the Haevichi Hotel Resort in Seogwipo, Jeju, Minister Han said, "The 1950 land reform was one of the most decisive moments that brought South Korea to where it is today," adding, "Farmers who owned their land through the land reform had a sense of ownership and defended the country during the Korean War." He continued, "The land reform caused the ruling class that had been maintained for centuries to disappear in an instant, and the former large landowners acquired production facilities with land certificates, expanding South Korea into a manufacturing and service industry nation."

Minister Han stated, "Statistically and empirically, the bold redistribution policy in the early days of the South Korean government laid the foundation for the country's long-term economic growth, a plan spanning 100 years," and added, "Despite numerous difficulties such as internal conflicts between communism and democracy right after liberation and the Korean War, the government nonetheless established institutional infrastructure for socio-economic development through bold institutional reforms."

He particularly viewed that the land reform transformed South Korea from a 'country of landlords' to a 'country of entrepreneurs.' He evaluated, "The land reform was a turning point that allowed heroes like the late Lee Byung-chul, the founding chairman, and Choi Jong-hyun, the former chairman, to thrive in what was once a country of landlords." Minister Han also emphasized the importance of Samsung and SK, saying, "South Korea is the country of Hynix and Samsung Electronics."

Choi Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and SK Group (center), is explaining the activities of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry to Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice (left), at the "46th Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jeju Forum" held on the 15th at the Haevichi Hotel Resort in Seogwipo, Jeju. Photo by Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry

On that day, Minister Han saw changes in immigration policy as a potential growth engine for Korea, similar to the land reform under the Rhee Syngman administration. Minister Han said, "Just as we can say now, 70 years later, that the 1950 land reform was the right answer, I hope that 70 years from now, people will say that the decisions made in 2023 were correct," emphasizing, "Regardless of the favor or opposition to immigration policy, if there is no other way, the government must strongly grasp and push it forward." He diagnosed that "the government will do its best to increase the birth rate of native Koreans," but also noted that "there are limits to policies aimed only at recovering the birth rate," judging that low birth rates are a complex and structural problem. He added, "The answer must be found at the immigration office," stressing, "Immigration policy must be for our national interest and the benefit of our people."

He emphasized that immigrants have founded companies like Google, Facebook, and Tesla. Minister Han explained, "According to a U.S. policy foundation, out of 87 unicorns born in the U.S. in 2016, 44 were founded by immigrants," and said, "If it is difficult to prevent the outflow of our talents abroad, a national policy to attract excellent foreign talent to our country is essential."

After his policy lecture at the Jeju Forum, Minister Han met with reporters and when asked about his candidacy for the general election, he was reserved, saying, "I want to focus on doing this work diligently and well right now." When asked about the Ministry of Justice's position on the international investment dispute settlement (ISDS) ruling ordering compensation of 69 billion won to the U.S.-based private equity fund Elliott, he briefly replied, "I will announce it at an appropriate time."

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