Civil group files police complaint against agriculture minister over farmland survey

A civic group has filed a complaint with police, accusing Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung of abuse of power over the government’s ongoing farmland survey, sources said on Monday.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency received the complaint on Sunday. The group alleges that Song pressed ahead with the survey without sufficient consultation with farmers and caused them anxiety, according to the sources.

The government launched the comprehensive nationwide survey earlier this year in an effort to determine the actual ownership of farmland and prevent it from being used as a speculative asset.

Critics, however, have voiced concerns about the survey, arguing that it could infringe on farmers’ property rights.

Yonhap