Suspicion of violation of building laws raised... “Complete investigation into farmland speculation, candidate Lee should start first.”
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporters Lee Jeong-hyun, Seon-woong Jeong, and Yoon-ju Jeong = On the 9th, People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo raised suspicions that Justice Minister candidate Lee Yong-cheol installed illegal containers on farmland without permission and falsely reported the farmland as a facility related to animals and plants.
Rep. Joo held a press conference at the National Assembly on this day and claimed, "Candidate Lee violated the building law by installing an illegal container on farmland in Bonghyeon-ri, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. When registering property with the head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, he falsely reported property as 'land with buildings' related to animals and plants, not 'farmland'."
According to Rep. Joo, candidate Lee purchased one parcel of farmland in Bonghyeon-ri for 70 million won in May 2021, according to a copy of the register, and the farmland is still classified as farmland. Also, according to the Korea Land and Housing Corporation’s comprehensive real estate information map, there are no registered buildings on the farmland in question.
However, as a result of the on-site inspection, Representative Joo explained that one illegal container building that cannot receive a building permit was installed, and only a few materials were piled up in the rusty container building, and it was not being operated as a normal facility building related to animals and plants.
Rep. Joo said, "It appears that candidate Lee falsely reported his assets as a trick to avoid suspicions of farmland speculation. This candidate was running a lawyer's office at the time of purchasing the farmland, and he has been serving as the head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration since November 2025, so he was not in a position to be vigilant. A clear investigation and truth-finding is needed to determine whether it was for 'farming' or 'speculation.'"
Representative Joo also claimed that the land immediately adjacent to the farmland in question was gifted to his daughter in 2020 after Candidate Lee purchased the country house and land in 2016, and that the farmland in question appears to be effectively the front yard of the country house gifted to his daughter.
Rep. Joo said, “Attaching farmland to a country house and using it as a yard or garden is a typical speculative behavior commonly seen in the metropolitan area,” and added, “Since President Lee Jae-myung has declared a full investigation into farmland speculation near the metropolitan area, candidate Lee must be investigated immediately.”
In response to this, the preparation team for the confirmation hearing for Justice Minister Lee Yong-cheol issued a press notice this afternoon and explained that the building on farmland was reported through legal procedures.
The preparation team refuted, "The building that some politicians claim is an 'illegal container' is a farm hut installed by the candidate around November 2022 for the purpose of storing agricultural materials, etc., and was legally reported and used in accordance with the relevant laws at the time."
However, he explained that he was appointed as the head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration in November 2025 and was unable to file an extension within the deadline.
The preparation team emphasized, "Regardless of the circumstances, we believe this was a failure on our part," and added, "We are aware of this and are quickly proceeding with the extension reporting process."
The preparation team also added that at the time of property registration, there was no item called 'farm hut' in the detailed type of building, so they selected 'facilities related to animals and plants' and reported it by writing 'facilities related to animals and plants' in the description column.
