The veterans affairs ministry said Sunday it plans to prioritize selling 148 land lots confiscated from former pro-Japanese collaborators to better compensate the sacrifices made by Korean independent activists and their families.

The ministry said it has selected the pool of land with relative high practical utilization from among the 855 total land lots it controls that were previously owned by Japanese collaborators.

When combined, the land designated for priority sales covers some 3.29 million square meters and is worth 21.1 billion won ($18.8 million).

The ministry said it will actively seek the sales and use the money to help support people recognized for their contributions to the Korean independence from the Japanese rule and their families.

According to the ministry, the government confiscated a total of 1,297 land lots worth 85.3 billion won from former Japanese collaborators since 2005 after a special law was passed then. As of 2020, the ministry had sold off some 69.8 billion won worth of land and still remains in possession of 855 land lots. (Yonhap)