As debate over the regional transfer of public institutions gains momentum after the June 3 local elections, the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and its affiliates are being cited as major candidates for transfer. In response, following the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (Suhyup), the labor union of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation also decided to hold protest rallies and signaled an all-out response, including convening emergency meetings for two consecutive days.
According to the financial sector on the 15th, the NH branch of the National Office and Financial Services Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) met with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) on the 9th regarding the regional transfer plan. MOLIT's position is that it is true the transfer of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and its affiliates is being discussed as a possibility, but nothing has been finalized. The second public institution transfer plan by MOLIT also did not specify the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation or the regions for transfer.
However, a sense of crisis remains. A financial union official said, "From the financial union's perspective, cooperatives such as NongHyup and Suhyup are all on the short list for the first round of regional transfers. It is practically a given that their substantive likelihood of regional transfer is being seriously reviewed."
The labor union of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation decided to take proactive action. On the 13th, the NH NongHyup branch of the National Financial Industry Labor Union under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions held an emergency meeting and decided to stage protest rallies together with the NH branch of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation. An emergency meeting was also held on the 14th to share the status of the regional transfer.
Naju, South Jeolla, is being strongly mentioned as the region for the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation's transfer. The South Jeolla provincial government is currently waging an all-out campaign to attract the transfer. In May, the province launched a task force to attract public institutions, visited 22 target agencies, and, to facilitate the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation's transfer, pursued revisions to related laws with the local political community and submitted related proposals to the Prime Minister's Office. A revision to the Agricultural Cooperatives Act proposed by lawmaker Moon Keum-ju of the Democratic Party of Korea is already pending in the National Assembly.
The labor union of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation opposes the regional transfer on the grounds that it would undermine practical benefits for members. A union official said, "Most in-person meetings, including various councils led by the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and urgent issue meetings, are held in Seoul, where the headquarters is located," and added, "If the headquarters is forcibly moved to a region, transportation accessibility will decline, leading to additional expense and potentially shrinking agricultural policy activities altogether. This will undermine members' practical benefits."
Transfer expense is also an issue. According to data from the National Assembly Budget Office, during the first round of public institution transfers in the past, the expense per employee ranged from 250 million won to 500 million won. In the case of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, the total expense for transferring the headquarters to a region is expected to reach several hundred billion won.