A bill amending the NongHyup Act to allow the reelection of the president of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation is expected to be reintroduced in the 22nd National Assembly. The bill to permit reelection of the NongHyup president was also discussed in the 21st National Assembly, but it did not pass due to controversies surrounding Lee Seong-hee's self-reelection as the then president.
Recently, a forum for the amendment of the NongHyup Act was held in the National Assembly, where former NongHyup officials attended and argued in favor of reelection, stating that it should apply retroactively to the current president, Kang Ho-dong. The National Agricultural Cooperative Federation has been accused of preparing measures for Kang's reelection, including reporting on the legislative status of the reelection bill discussed in the 21st National Assembly to the board of directors.
According to the National Assembly and the financial sector on the 28th, lawmakers Park Deok-heum from the People Power Party and Lee Byeong-jin from the Democratic Party are preparing amendment bills that include reform proposals for NongHyup. The amendments are expected to include measures to disperse the president's authority, but the core of the proposal is to allow one reelection for the president.
On the 18th, the two lawmakers held a forum at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, in cooperation with the National Assembly Research Service on the topic, 'NongHyup Reform: What is needed?' Lee Seon-shin, the director of the Korea Legal Advancement Institute, who was responsible for the presentation at the forum, stated that the president's reelection should happen and that if the law is amended, it should also apply retroactively to Kang.
Director Lee is a former NongHyup official. Starting in 1985 at the Gwangju branch of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation in Gyeonggi Province, he worked in key departments such as planning, auditing, and reform planning at the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, and also served as the vice president of NongHyup University. The Korea Legal Advancement Institute is a civic organization recently established by Director Lee, primarily known for its activities related to supporting the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-youl. He explained the purpose of the organization on his social media, stating, 'There are significant concerns among the public regarding the collapse of Korean rule of law caused by President Yoon and his aides.'
Kim Dong-hwan, the director of the Agricultural and Food New Distribution Research Institute, who supported Director Lee's opinion as a discussant, also has deep ties with NongHyup. Director Kim has previously served as a non-member director of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and a non-executive director of NongHyup Economic Holdings. The Agricultural and Food New Distribution Research Institute, where Director Kim is affiliated, is chaired by former National Agricultural Cooperative Federation Chairman Won Cheol-hee.
During the forum, Director Kim stated, 'Reelection is desirable in that it aims to eliminate side effects such as excessive competition surrounding the election of the president, securing the continuity of management, and excessive politicization, such as employees standing in line.' Ultimately, individuals from NongHyup or those with deep ties to it came out in favor of President Kang's reelection at the forum.
President Kang stated during a National Assembly audit last October that he 'has never considered reelection.' However, it has been reported that a report on the amendment to the NongHyup Act discussed in the 21st National Assembly was presented at the regular board meeting in October of the same year.
There is also significant opposition to the reelection of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation president. Before the amendment of the NongHyup Act in 2009, which changed the reelection system to a single term, all three presidents who succeeded in reelection failed to complete their terms due to criminal investigations. President Kang has already consolidated control over the NongHyup organization through appointments of close associates. There are concerns that if reelection is retroactively applied to President Kang, it could lead to an uncheckable concentration of power.
Yoon Won-seup, the agricultural policy director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, noted, 'In response to past incidents of embezzlement and slush funds, the decision was made to shift from a reelection system to a single term through a consensus across the agricultural sector in 2009 to prevent excessive concentration of power on the president,' adding, 'It is premature to discuss reelection at this moment.'