Ji Joon-seop, vice president of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, who was indicted without detention on charges of involvement in illegal loans worth about 10 billion won, is confirmed to have held a closed-door retirement ceremony on the 15th. Until now, when vice presidents of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation stepped down, they held public retirement ceremonies.
Based on ChosunBiz reporting on the 16th, the former vice president left NongHyup completely as of the previous day. A NongHyup official said, "There will be no return to the front line with another title." In 2012, NongHyup was split into the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, an economic holding company, and a financial holding company, and among all vice presidents of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, the former vice president is the only one who stepped down while facing criminal charges.
At the retirement ceremony, the former vice president is said to have said, "The owners of NongHyup are the employees," "Because NongHyup employees are doing meaningful work that revives agriculture and rural communities, have a sense of ownership and pride," and "I leave with a light heart, but I will remain a NongHyup man forever."
The former vice president, whose term ends in March this year, stepped down two days after National Agricultural Cooperative Federation President Kang Ho-dong issued a public apology on the 13th. At the time of Kang's public apology, many expected several executives to resign, but even within NongHyup there was a reaction that said, "We didn't expect the retirement ceremony to be carried out this hastily."
Around Nov. 2024, the former vice president allegedly accepted a request from Seo Young Holdings Chairman Han Sang-kwon and arranged for NongHyup Bank employee A, who handled Seo Young Holdings' loans, to be appointed Director General of the loan screening department, among other actions. The vice president of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation has no authority to intervene in personnel matters at NongHyup Bank.