President Lee: "The farmland survey is aimed at cracking down on speculation... Agitation is making the public anxious"

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung emphasized fairness in policy implementation on the 29th, saying, "There is an old saying that poverty can be endured, but unfairness cannot."
President Lee made the remark during a meeting of the State Council of South Korea that he chaired at Cheong Wa Dae, as he explained ways to address public concerns and complaints arising during the nationwide farmland survey.
President Lee said, "When people find farming difficult and entrust their land to someone nearby, doesn't someone stir them up and spread lies that the government might take it away, making them anxious?" He said the matter should be explained clearly to prevent misunderstandings. 
He reiterated that the farmland survey is aimed at cracking down on speculation. President Lee said, "We are trying to catch people who declare that they will farm, buy land, leave it idle while waiting for land prices to rise, use it for an unrelated purpose, or engage in real estate speculation—not people who, because they have grown old and find farming difficult, leave their land in the care of a neighbor, are we?" The remarks were interpreted as stressing the importance of ensuring that the public views the policy implementation process as fair. 
During the meeting, President Lee also suggested that using farmland for solar power facilities could be part of the solution.
At the same time, President Lee explained, "It is said that if we install solar facilities across fallow fields and similar land, use what the neighborhood needs and sell the rest, the income would be much higher than from traditional farming," adding, "If only the transmission and distribution grid is properly built, 'solar farming' could become a way for people to make a living."
He added that using farmland for 'solar farming' could perhaps become a trend.
President Lee also proposed raising the reimbursement rate under a program that provides additional transportation-cost reimbursements to people who use public transportation outside commuting rush hours.
The president made the proposal while listening to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) explain that the program's reimbursement rate had been raised from 20% to 30%.
President Lee said, "Reducing congestion during commuting hours is also a national interest from the standpoint of government policy, and there are people who have long had to go to work at 4:30 to 5:00 a.m., which is difficult, aren't there?" He added, "I wonder if we could discount it a little more."
He continued, "I would rather not give a specific figure, but wouldn't about half price be appropriate?" He also said, "I don't think it would cost that much" in budgetary terms.
In this regard, he also noted, "Surplus tax revenue has continued to occur recently, and economic conditions have improved considerably. Although some of this may be temporary, isn't quite a bit of it also a structural shift?" He added, "Wouldn't it be worth expanding support for areas like this that people can feel directly?"

[email protected] Seong Seok-woo Reporter