Pocheon City Temporarily Operates 'Special Provisions on Illegally Converted Forestland'

Pocheon City (Mayor Kim Jong-cheon) announced on the 16th that it will operate the "Special Provisional Provisions Regarding Illegally Converted Forestland" for one year until June 2, 2018, in accordance with the partial amendment to the Forestry Management Act (Act No. 14361, amended on December 2, 2016).

Under the "Temporary Special Provisions," land records can be changed for forestland that has been continuously used for paddy fields, rice paddies, or orchards for at least three years as of January 21, 2016. This is a system for changing land records to match actual conditions for illegally converted forestland that has been used as agricultural land for long periods without going through legal procedures such as obtaining forestland conversion permits. Applications are limited to forestland owners who have the qualification to acquire farmland.

The reporting procedure involves submitting a report on illegally converted forestland with required supporting documents to the Cadastral Team at the Civil Affairs and Land Division of Pocheon City Hall (☎031-538-2169, 3147). The city will investigate through on-site inspections and aerial photo analysis, review compliance with forestland conversion permit standards, and notify the reporter of whether the report has been accepted. Additionally, if the relevant activity occurred within a period that violates the Criminal Procedure Act, separate criminal proceedings will be conducted in parallel.

Chang Gyung-soo, Director of the Civil Affairs and Land Division, said, "With the implementation of the temporary special provisions law on illegally converted forestland, citizens can change land records to match actual use through a simple reporting procedure, and the alternative forest resource creation fee, which is the forestland conversion burden, is completely waived. We expect that citizens who have experienced inconvenience due to discrepancies between official records and actual land use will apply and receive many benefits."