At the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, anonymous letters tearing down rival candidates are flying over senior posts left vacant by internal problems. The National Agricultural Cooperative Federation underwent an audit by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and is now facing a special audit led this year by the Office for Government Policy Coordination, while infighting is breaking out internally over key positions.
As of Mar. 6, according to ChosunBiz reporting, those floated as candidates for president of the Nongmin Shinmun are locked in a shadow war, sharing anonymous letters inside NongHyup that contain slander about one another. A similar situation is unfolding over the CEO post at NH Investment & Securities.
Earlier, National Agricultural Cooperative Federation Chairman Kang Ho-dong stepped down from his concurrent post as chairman of the Nongmin Shinmun after, in addition to being investigated on suspicion of taking a 100 million won bribe, an audit by the Agriculture Ministry revealed he had squandered public funds. Vice Chairman Ji Jun-seop of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, Ye Young-hyun, CEO of mutual finance institutions, and Kim Jeong-sik, president of the Nongmin Shinmun, also resigned.
Kang received an annual salary of about 390 million won as chairman of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and more than 300 million won as chairman of the Nongmin Shinmun. Anonymous letters obtained by ChosunBiz say, "Former executive A, mentioned as the next president of the Nongmin Shinmun, is being investigated along with Chairman Kang Ho-dong on suspicion of taking a 100 million won bribe," "There is talk that former executive B, who is being investigated on the same suspicion, will be rehired to a senior post at an affiliate," and "If NongHyup wants to show its reform resolve, those with judicial blemishes should be excluded from senior positions."
The National Agricultural Cooperative Federation is currently undergoing a special audit led by the Office for Government Policy Coordination. The Financial Supervisory Service plans to begin a regular examination of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation in the first half of this year. President Lee Jae-myung said in a year-end briefing by the Agriculture Ministry, "NongHyup is a real problem. There were many illegalities during the election process, with arrests and investigations causing an uproar. If necessary, request (additional) investigations and conduct a thorough audit."
In this situation, insiders express dismay at the jockeying for posts. An internal NongHyup official said, "Even as all-around pressure for organizational reform continues, seeing the 'NongHyup old boys' trading petty anonymous letters is demoralizing."