The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs held briefings as it pushed to revise the NongHyup Act for NongHyup reform, but resistance from NongHyup cooperative leaders is mounting.
The Emergency Committee to Safeguard NongHyup's Autonomy said on the 26th that cooperative leaders and farmers raised issues at reform plan briefings hosted by the ministry in three regions — Daegu on the 22nd and North Chungcheong and Gyeonggi on the 24th. Earlier, the ministry released a reform plan through party-government consultations that included strengthening internal controls at NongHyup and introducing a direct vote by cooperative members for the head of the central union.
According to the emergency committee, some attendees at the briefing said the amendment focused on overhauling governance and control mechanisms while leaving out core tasks that farmers can feel, such as stabilizing agricultural product prices, increasing farm income, and improving distribution structures, adding, "It is reform that strays from the essence to tinker only with the audit structure and election system while leaving issues directly tied to farmers' lives as they are."
There were also calls to sufficiently gather opinions through a public hearing rather than a briefing so as not to pursue "hasty legislation." In particular, criticism was raised that the NongHyup Act amendment for the cooperative strengthens government control and infringes on the autonomy of the cooperative. Concerns were also raised that a government recommendation-centered audit committee and expanded supervisory powers could effectively incorporate the cooperative into a government management system.
Lee Joo-hwan, co-chair of the emergency committee (head of Jinbu NongHyup), said, "The starting point of reform must be the lives of farmers and the field," adding, "If it proceeds as it is now, centered on structural reorganization, it could produce other side effects."