Retaken area, which is to have been governed by North Korea, a socialist state, during about five years after Korea's liberation came to be one of the lands in South Korea. For the same times, all the lands in North Korea were confiscated, distributed...
Retaken area, which is to have been governed by North Korea, a socialist state, during about five years after Korea's liberation came to be one of the lands in South Korea. For the same times, all the lands in North Korea were confiscated, distributed and nationalized. After the Korean War, South Korea got back the Retaken areas, so the confiscation of lands by North Korea was revoked.
The government of South Korea tried to restore a land ownership in Retaken area; however, it was not available to find the initial ownership of Retaken area after the reign of North Korea and the Korean War. Therefore, land ownerships in Retaken area were not confirmed officially excepting for the cases that some owners proved to their land ownerships with reliable resources. Land disputes often happened between tillers occupying the land and peoples claiming their ownership, and it caused social turmoil. To overcome such a situation, a special legislation for restoring land ownership by several qualified sureties' statement was taken effect on the first of July in 1983. The special legislation for restoring land ownership in Retaken area made individual land ownership sure, but an unentitled person got a land ownership by abusing the legislation.
Retaken area is only district to become under South Korea after to have been governed by North Korea, and land ownerships confiscated by North Korea were restored with various problems in Retaken area through the special legislation. This study shows that it is difficult as much as to take more than forty years to establish an ownership of lands without official resources proving the initial ownership. Also, during the period of vague land ownership, severe disputes of land ownership were happened. Therefore, this study implies that such precedent as Retaken area has various limitations to apply to establish a land ownership policy for North Korea after the unification of North and South Korea. In North Korea, there is no official resources to check the initial land ownership, and most citizens of North Korea have lived in their present land for more than seventy years. In conclusion, after the unification of North and South Korea, it is required not to restore land ownership of peoples who were confiscated by North Korea in order to prevent many disputes of land ownership and to protect North Koreans' right to use land.