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Ex-President Yoon's mother-in-law in hot water over allegedly leased farmland

Published: 18 Jun. 2025, 19:25

Choi Eun-soon, former President Yoon Suk Yeol's mother-in-law, is seen after her release from prison at Seoul Dongbu Detention Center in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on May 14, 2024. [YONHAP]

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s mother-in-law, Choi Eun-soon, 78, has been referred to prosecutors for allegedly violating Korea’s Farmland Act by illegally leasing farmland she owned in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi.

The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Division of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency announced Wednesday that it transferred Choi’s case to the Yeoju branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office.

Choi is accused of leasing two plots of farmland totaling approximately 3,300 square meters (35,520 square feet) in Baekan-ri, Yangpyeong-eup, in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi, to a local resident between 2021 and 2023.

Under Korean law, farmland must be cultivated by the owner, with exceptions granted only under limited conditions such as inheritance, illness or military service. Leasing is also permitted in some cases, including long-term ownership exceeding three years or weekend farming.

Police concluded that Choi did not meet any of the legal exceptions. Although she has owned the land since 2005, investigators found she never farmed it herself and instead entered into a lease agreement with a local resident. Choi reportedly admitted to the charges during a police summons on May 7.

The investigation was launched after a civic group filed a complaint in 2023. Police initially dropped the case due to the expiration of the statute of limitations on farmland acquisition, but reopened the investigation when the group refiled the complaint, this time focusing on illegal leasing. Authorities confirmed the lease lasted for about two years, excluding periods when the land was fallow or under construction.

In addition to the farmland case, police said they are continuing to investigate allegations that Choi’s family-owned company, ESI&D, received preferential treatment in a residential development project in Yangpyeong’s Gongheung District.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHOI MO-RAN [[email protected]]