R e s e a r c h A c c o m p l i s h m e n t s o v e r Past Three Decades
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One nation is composed of land, people, and authority. The land where people can exercise the authority is referred to as “territory.” Many wars and much strife are caused by this idea of “territory.” According to the third article of the Constitution, the territory of the Republic of Korea shall consist of the Korean peninsula and its adjacent islands, and the second article of the Basic Law for the National Territory prescribed that the territory is the settlements for the people’s life and the national resources for the future generation.
Land is the foundation to decide the economy and the social system in one country. Feudalism is the system for deciding social status with land and land as the economic foundation in one country.
Therefore, South Korea reformed the land system in 1950s as “the compensation confiscation, paid distribution,” while North Korea as “the compensationless confiscation, free distribution.”
Land, as one of the three production elements, is the foundation for economic
activities. Depending on how to use land resources, the economy in the country can grow or not. In 1960, the national per capita income of Korea, one of the poorest countries at that time, was only 79 dollars. However, the current national per capita income of Korea, one of the most developed countries, was 20,040 dollars in 2007. The first five-year economic plan in 1962 focused on an export-oriented light industries with intensive labor. The foundation of this plan was the land policy. The plan of export-oriented heavy industries with intensive capital in 1960s and 1970s was also based on the land policy.
Land is also the foundation of sustaining the public order and creating community sprit. However, economic development has brought many side effects since the 1960s. After the fast growing economic development, there were large development profits. And, land properties were concentrated on a specific class while economic efficiency was the focal point. Therefore, land related problems became social and political problems. In the mid-1970s, “the public limitations on land” was discussed and related laws were enacted at the end of 1980s. In the middle of the 2000s, dealing with the serious income
polarization, “the public limitations on land”
expanded to “the public limitations on real estate.”
Land is the link to the world, although it appears to be fixed in space. Globalization in the 1990s demanded ‘de-regulation,’ ‘privatization,’ and
‘openness.’ A land policy should follow this international trend. However, globalization without preparation also created many side effects. The Economic Crisis and thoughtlessness in development for the environment are examples of side effects. Recovery from the Economic Crisis lead laws related to “the public limitations on land” to reduce or to abolish the contents. The land market openness to foreigners followed.
Since the advent of 21st century, the surrounding environment of land changed suddenly. Land
Public Policy Forum on the Improvement of Land Property of Foreigners and Management System(1998. 2. 19)
policies are affected by various trends, such as democratization, regionalization, informatization, and knowledge-intensive industrialization. With the influence of democratization and regionalization, diverse groups are participating in the process of the establishment and execution of land policies. After the settling of the new
“governance” concept, conflicts around public participation and environmental conservation are being raised. The reform of the land use regulation system should be considered while the development of informatization and knowledge-intensive industrialization increased the transparent way of the land market.
Finally, land is the agent for the vision of the new era. In the future, land will play an important role in the realization of the peace and prosperity in North East Asia. After the mid-2000s, the assignments of new era are (1) to promote the social, economical, and political integration of South and North Korea, (2) adjust social, economical, and political conflicts.
In the mid-2000s, the important tasks of KRIHS are (1) to implement the social, economic, politic unification of South and North Korea, (2) relieve social, economical, and political conflicts in
Northeast Asia, and (3) to be in charge of reconciliation and prosperity. In the future, the task of the land policy is to respond to those demands and to show a leading vision.
Land has many aspects. Therefore, the land research division investigates diverse topics with diverse views. Related systems and policies are developed to relieve problems and conflicts in land and real estate markets while complicated and dynamic movements of the land market are investigated and prospected. These abundant experiences can be the foundation to develop Korean methodologies to analyze and examine the land market and land policies.
Public Hearings on Land Suitability Assessment Plan for the Effective Management of National Land Resources(2002. 6. 4)
Selected Titles of Research Reports
A Study on the Comprehensive Land Policy for Korea(1984)
A Study on the Land Transaction Control System(1987)
Factors of Land Price Fluctuation and Land Price Profile(1989)
Development of Computer-Assisted Mass Land Price appraisal System(1991~1993)
Comparative Study on Land Policy Measures:
Land Use Regulation(1992)
A Study on Articulating Land Laws(1994) Land Policy in the Localization Era(1995) Public Land Management and Land Banking(1995) Strategies for Strengthening Competitiveness of Real Estate Service Industry under Globaliza-tion(1996)
A Study on the Comprehensive Evaluation for the Public Concept in Land(1998)
An Essay on the Separation of Development Right from Landownership(1999)
A Study on the Reorganization Method of Windfall Gains Recapture System(1999)
A Study on the Mediation of the Public and Private Interest on Land(2000)
Land Speculation and Land Market Stabilization Policies in Korea: Evaluation and Policy
Alternatives(2000)
Land Suitability Assessment System for the Effective Management of National Land Resources(2001)
Enhancement of Mutual Linkage Between Land Use Control and Environmental Regulation Schemes(2002)
Policy Tools for Planned Territorial Management : Implementation Status and Policy
Sugges-tions(2004)
Policy Tasks for Improving the Land Supply System(2006)
Land Policy Direction and Implementation Strategy Preparing for the Advanced Society (II)(2007)
Policy Tasks for Diversifying the Land Supply Schemes Developed by the Public Sector: Focus-ing on the HousFocus-ing Supply System on the Condition of Land Lease(2007)
Rural Land Use Management System for Rural Viability(2007)