Gwak Sang-do: "Oh Geo-don Family Owns 80,000 Pyeong of Land Near KTX Station Connecting to Gadeokdo"

On the afternoon of September 2 last year, at the plenary meeting of the National Assembly Steering Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Kwon Sang-do, a member of the People Power Party, is questioning Noh Young-min, Chief of Staff to the President, regarding President Moon Jae-in's farmland acquisition status.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Gwak Sang-do, a member of the People Power Party, reported that the land near KTX Jinyeong Station, which appears to be connected to the Gadeokdo New Airport route, owned by the family of former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don, exceeds 80,000 pyeong in total.

On the 14th, Gwak, a member of the 'Moon Jae-in Government Land Speculation Truth Investigation Special Committee,' stated in a press release, "As a result of a full investigation of the land registry of the area around KTX Jinyeong Station, we additionally confirmed about 20 parcels of land including fields and forests totaling approximately 47,697㎡ (14,453 pyeong) owned by the Oh family in Seolchang-ri, Jinyeong-eup, Gimhae City."

Gwak said, "The land was divided and owned by the Oh family through sales and inheritance between 1972 and 1973, and its current estimated value is between 6.6 billion and 11 billion KRW. If the KTX route is extended to Gadeokdo in the future, the land price is expected to rise significantly."

Previously, Gwak confirmed through official gazettes that the Oh family owns about 220,000㎡ (66,500 pyeong) in the Jinyeong-eup and Jinrye-myeon areas of Gimhae City.

It was also revealed that the Oh family and companies where they are major shareholders own 78,000㎡ (23,700 pyeong) of land near the planned site of Gadeokdo New Airport.

Gwak criticized, "Developing areas where the Oh family, including Oh Keo-don himself, owns so much land to benefit them is an attempt to seek private gain through land price increases and is a mockery of the public. The judicial authorities must conduct a full investigation and severely punish those who have gained unfair profits through real estate speculation and land use changes."

He added, "During the special committee's investigation, it was confirmed that in 2009, the law firm Busan represented a lawsuit related to 16 parcels of land totaling 40,000㎡ owned by the Oh family in Jinyeong, Gimhae. It was also revealed that the lawyers in charge at the time included President Moon Jae-in and Kim Oe-sook, the senior secretary for personnel at the Blue House."