Chungnam Requests Investigation of Public Officials and Corporations Suspected of Violating Farmland Act and Other Laws

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Chungnam Provincial Audit Committee announced on the 24th that it has requested an investigation into six public officials and one corporation suspected of violating the Farmland Act and other laws.

The provincial audit committee recently conducted a special audit on real estate speculation suspicions related to development project sites, targeting a total of 28,350 people, including 6,571 provincial government employees, 20,650 employees from 15 city and county offices, 104 employees of Chungnam Development Corporation, and 1,025 family members of employees in key development departments within the provincial government and Chungnam Development Corporation.

The audit was carried out by comparing land ownership status, land-related data, and acquisition tax records for the top 15 development project sites based on total project costs among 92 major development projects in the jurisdiction. During this process, the audit committee identified 25 individuals suspected of legal violations.

Furthermore, to determine whether these individuals used internal development information obtained through their work during land transactions, the committee investigated the public announcement dates of major development project plans, real estate acquisition dates, departments and duties at the time of acquisition, and then conducted in-depth investigations by verifying real estate registrations, acquisition circumstances, farmland usage status, and proof of agricultural material purchases.

As a result, the audit concluded to request an investigation by authorities into two individuals suspected of violating the Farmland Act, four public officials including two who purchased real estate from an agricultural corporation suspected of being a speculative real estate company, and one agricultural corporation.

A representative of the provincial audit committee stated, "If there are any reports related to real estate speculation suspicions involving public officials after the audit, we will thoroughly investigate and respond with a zero-tolerance policy," adding, "We will respond with strict punishment to prevent any intention of real estate speculation from taking root in the public sector."

Meanwhile, the audit committee had previously transferred two individuals who voluntarily reported themselves through the real estate speculation suspicion reporting center in April to investigative agencies on suspicion of violating the Anti-Corruption Act and the Farmland Act.