농지는 국민의 식량공급과 국토환경 보전의 기반이고 농업과 국민경제의 균형 있는 발전에 영향을 미치는 한정된 귀중한 자원으로서, 농지의 소유권 취득 및 처분과 관련된 농지소유제도의 문제는 오랜 기간 농지법의 주요쟁점이 되어왔다. 우리 헌법은 “국가는 국민 모두의 생산 및 생활의 기반이 되는 국토의 효율적이고 균형 있는 이용ㆍ개발과 보전을 위하여 법률이 정하는 바에 의하여 그에 관한 필요한 제한과 의무를 과할 수 있다.”(제122조)고 하여 토지재산권에 대한 광범위한 입법형성권을 부여하면서, 농지에 대해서는 특히 “국가는 농지에 관하여 경자유전의 원칙이 달성될 수 있도록 노력하여야 하며, 농지의 소작제도는 금지된다.”(제121조 제1항), “농업생산성의 제고와 농지의 합리적인 이용을 위하거나 불가피한 사정으로 발생하는 농지의 임대차와 위탁경영은 법률이 정하는 바에 의하여 인정된다.”(제121조 제2항)고 규정하여 소작제도 금지 등 특별한 규제를 하고 있다. 또한 1996년부터 시행되고 있는 농지법에서는 헌법상 경자유전의 원칙을 확립하고 다른 한편으로는 건전한 농업경영과 자본의 농업참여라는 두 가지 목표를 동시에 조화시키려는 노력의 일환으로, 제6조 제1항에서 농지소유 자격을 농업인과 농업법인으로 제한하고 있으며, 제8조 제1항에서 농지를 취득하려는 자는 농지취득자격증명을 받도록 함으로써 자경 목적이 아닌 농지소유를 방지하고 있다. 이와 같이 헌법과 농지법에서 경자유전의 원칙을 천명하고 있지만. 현실적으로는 농지의 소유와 이용에 관한 규제가 폐지ㆍ완화되고 농지법의 예외적인 조항을 통하여 비농업인의 농지소유가 광범위하게 인정되면서 경자유전의 원칙과 자작농주의는 상당부분 훼손되고 있다. 즉 농지에 관한 기본이념과 원칙이 제시되고, 이를 실현하기 위한 다양한 수단이 제시되어 있지만 기본이념과 원칙이 실현되지 못하고 있는 실정이다. 그럼에도 불구하고 농지의 소유와 이용의 밀접한 연계 속에서 제도화된 경자유전의 원칙이라는 헌법상의 이념은 현실에서도 준수되어야 한다. 따라서 이 논문에서는 농지소유제도를 중심으로 현행 농지소유제도의 변화과정과 내용, 문제점을 분석하여 헌법상에 명시하고 있는 경자유전의 원칙에 대한 해석과 현대적 의의 및 이에 따른 농지소유제도의 바람직한 개선방안을 제시하고자 한다.

Farmland serves as the foundation for the food supply of the nation and for the preservation of the national territorial environment, and as the limited and precious natural resource influencing the balanced development of agriculture and the national economy. The issues for the system of farmland ownership related to the acquisition and disposition of farmland have entered the mainstream of the Farmland Act over a long period. The Constitution of the Republic of Korea authorizes the immense legislative power about the property rights of land in article 122(The state may impose, under the conditions as prescribed by Act, restrictions or obligations necessary for efficient and balanced utilization, development and preservation of the land of the nation that is the basis for the productive activities and daily lives of all citizens.). Especially, in the respect to the farmland, the Constitution stipulates the land-to-the-tillers principle and the tenant farming prohibition in clause 1(The state shall endeavor to realize the land-to-the-tillers principle with respect to agricultural land. Tenant farming shall be prohibited.) and in clause 2 of article 121(Leasing of agricultural land and consignment management of agricultural land to increase agricultural productivity and to ensure rational utilization of agricultural land or due to unavoidable circumstances, shall be recognized under the conditions as prescribed by Act.) to have particular restrictions like the tenant farming prohibition, etc. In the Farmland Act executed since Jan. 1. 1996, to establish the land-to-the-tillers principle by the constitution, and also the other aspect, in order to achieve the harmony with two targets, the wholesome agricultural management and the participation of a capital into the agriculture, simultaneously, stipulates in clause 1 of article 6(Farmland shall not be owned by any person unless he uses or is going to use it for his own agricultural management.) and the clause 1 of article 8(A person who intends to acquire farmland shall obtain the qualification certificate for acquisition of farmland from the head of Si, Gu, or Eup/Myeon who exercises jurisdiction over the area where the farmland in question is located.) to prevent the occupation of the farmland except the self-tilling purpose. In this way, the land-to-the-tillers principle has been elucidating in the Constitution and Farmland Act. But it is not exaggerated to say that the land-to-the-tillers principle and a principle of land-owning tiller are in a condition of being derogated realistically as the restrictions of farmland ownership and farmland use were abolished(or loosened) and the farmland ownership by the non-farmers was widely recognized through the exceptional clauses of the Farmland Act. In the other word, the basic ideologies and principles are proposed and the various way to realize those are also being proposed. But they are not realized yet. In spite of that, the ideology of the constitution that is called the land-to-the-tillers principle being systematizing under the germane connection with farmland ownership and farmland use should be observed in actuality. Therefore, this study propose on what to improve and how to improve to enact the desirable system of farmland ownership, around the system of farmland ownership, through analysis of modern viewpoints on the land-to-the-tillers principle.

Farmland serves as the foundation for the food supply of the nation and for the preservation of the national territorial environment, and as the limited and precious natural resource influencing the balanced development of agriculture and the national economy. The issues for the system of farmland ownership related to the acquisition and disposition of farmland have entered the mainstream of the Farmland Act over a long period. The Constitution of the Republic of Korea authorizes the immense legislative power about the property rights of land in article 122(The state may impose, under the conditions as prescribed by Act, restrictions or obligations necessary for efficient and balanced utilization, development and preservation of the land of the nation that is the basis for the productive activities and daily lives of all citizens.). Especially, in the respect to the farmland, the Constitution stipulates the land-to-the-tillers principle and the tenant farming prohibition in clause 1(The state shall endeavor to realize the land-to-the-tillers principle with respect to agricultural land. Tenant farming shall be prohibited.) and in clause 2 of article 121(Leasing of agricultural land and consignment management of agricultural land to increase agricultural productivity and to ensure rational utilization of agricultural land or due to unavoidable circumstances, shall be recognized under the conditions as prescribed by Act.) to have particular restrictions like the tenant farming prohibition, etc. In the Farmland Act executed since Jan. 1. 1996, to establish the land-to-the-tillers principle by the constitution, and also the other aspect, in order to achieve the harmony with two targets, the wholesome agricultural management and the participation of a capital into the agriculture, simultaneously, stipulates in clause 1 of article 6(Farmland shall not be owned by any person unless he uses or is going to use it for his own agricultural management.) and the clause 1 of article 8(A person who intends to acquire farmland shall obtain the qualification certificate for acquisition of farmland from the head of Si, Gu, or Eup/Myeon who exercises jurisdiction over the area where the farmland in question is located.) to prevent the occupation of the farmland except the self-tilling purpose. In this way, the land-to-the-tillers principle has been elucidating in the Constitution and Farmland Act. But it is not exaggerated to say that the land-to-the-tillers principle and a principle of land-owning tiller are in a condition of being derogated realistically as the restrictions of farmland ownership and farmland use were abolished(or loosened) and the farmland ownership by the non-farmers was widely recognized through the exceptional clauses of the Farmland Act. In the other word, the basic ideologies and principles are proposed and the various way to realize those are also being proposed. But they are not realized yet. In spite of that, the ideology of the constitution that is called the land-to-the-tillers principle being systematizing under the germane connection with farmland ownership and farmland use should be observed in actuality. Therefore, this study propose on what to improve and how to improve to enact the desirable system of farmland ownership, around the system of farmland ownership, through analysis of modern viewpoints on the land-to-the-tillers principle.

, , , , , , , , , ,

farmland, agricultural land, Farmland Act, farmland ownership, the system of farmland ownership, the land-to-the-tillers principle, principle of land-owning tiller, leasing of farmland, consignment management of farmland, qualification certificate for acquisition of farmland.