[Free Pass Farmland Qualification⑥] Even Ki Sung-yong Bought Farmland... The Many Faces of 'Fake Farmers'

Agricultural Management Plans Practically 100% Accepted Without Verification
High-Ranking Officials and Members of the National Assembly Also Hold Numerous Farmlands

Saplings were planted on a piece of land in Gwarim-dong, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, where allegations of land speculation by some employees of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) in the Gwangmyeong-Siheung new town have been raised, on the 10th of last month.
Siheung - Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Soccer player Ki Sung-yueng (32, FC Seoul) is under police investigation for violating the Farmland Act along with his father, Ki Young-ok, former director of Gwangju FC, reigniting the widespread controversy over 'fake farmers' in Korean society.

The Ki family purchased more than ten plots of land, including rice paddies and fields in the Geumho-dong area of Seo-gu, Gwangju, between 2015 and 2016, spending billions of won. They are suspected of submitting false agricultural management plans during this process.

According to data obtained by Kim Eun-hye, a member of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the People Power Party, from Gyeonggi Province titled 'Number of Applications and Issuances of Farmland Acquisition Qualification Certificates in Gyeonggi Province Over the Past Five Years by Year,' from 2017 to March 2021, there were a total of 335,008 applications for farmland acquisition qualification certificates across 48 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province, with 329,215 certificates issued. This represents a 98.27% issuance rate, nearly 100% in practice.

The farmland acquisition qualification certificate is a system that reviews the qualifications of those purchasing farmland, such as their agricultural management plans, and only allows qualified individuals to acquire farmland. However, in reality, it has become a de facto 'free pass' certificate that anyone can obtain simply by applying.

The Ki family’s success in purchasing farmland was also possible under these circumstances. At the time of the purchase, Ki Sung-yueng was playing in an overseas league and could not cultivate the land, yet he submitted an agricultural management plan and was able to acquire the farmland under his name without difficulty.

The reality is that 'fake farmers' are abundant even among high-ranking public officials and members of the National Assembly.

According to the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ), one in four members of the National Assembly owns farmland under their own or their spouse’s name. According to data released by CCEJ in February on the farmland ownership status of 300 members of the 21st National Assembly, 76 members (25.3%) own farmland. The total farmland area owned is approximately 399,193 square meters (about 120,968 pyeong), averaging 5,253 square meters (about 1,592 pyeong) per person.

Among high-ranking government officials, farmland ownership is also not uncommon. In October last year, CCEJ surveyed 1,862 out of 1,865 government high-ranking officials subject to the Government Official Ethics Committee’s 'Regular Property Change Disclosure.' As of March, 719 of them (38.6%) owned farmland. The total farmland area they owned reached 311 hectares (about 942,000 pyeong).

Professor Sa Dong-cheon of Hongik University Law School (President of the Korean Agricultural Law Association) pointed out, "Since the enactment of the Farmland Act in 1994, practically anyone can acquire farmland," adding, "If the system has shifted to post-regulation, post-management and control should be in place, but this function is not working at all."

Meanwhile, Ki Sung-yueng apologized for his negligence regarding the farmland speculation allegations and expressed his intention to cooperate with the investigation and accept punishment. On the 23rd, he posted on his Instagram, "I am sorry, and I am very sorry. I sincerely apologize for causing trouble unintentionally," adding, "Everything is my fault, a clear mistake stemming from my negligence and ignorance."

Ki explained, "In 2016, when my father suggested starting a soccer center to nurture young soccer talents, I thought it was a good cause and agreed, leaving everything to my father in Korea," and added, "I was busy spending difficult and overwhelming times abroad and with the national team, so I thought my father would handle it well as he always had."

He continued, "I never thought buying land would be a problem, and I didn’t even know there was farmland or that it could be an issue," explaining, "It was only a few days ago when a reporter contacted the club that I learned there was farmland and that it was problematic."

Ki emphasized that he did not purchase the land for speculative purposes. He said, "If I had been living just chasing money, I would have surely been tempted and unable to refuse a large offer from China in the same year," adding, "I know there are more valuable lives than the happiness money brings." He also said, "If I had known the land was illegal and bought it for speculation, I would be ashamed of myself, and it would destroy the purpose of my life."

Ki Sung-yueng concluded, "From now on, I will thoroughly review everything myself and ensure that such a thing never happens again," emphasizing, "I will sincerely cooperate with the investigation and accept any punishment."