After a bill to remove the term limit for the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises president was introduced in the National Assembly, the labor union pushed back, citing concerns that eliminating the limit could risk privatizing the organization.
According to the National Assembly's bill information system on the 23rd, a revision to the Small and Medium Enterprise Cooperatives Act to remove the limit on the number of consecutive terms for cooperative chairpersons and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises president was submitted to the National Assembly under the sponsorship of Rep. Jeong Jin-uk of the Democratic Party of Korea.
The core of the revision is to change the regulation that the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises president "may serve only one consecutive term" to "may serve consecutive terms," thereby removing the limit on the number of consecutive terms. For the term of a small and medium enterprise cooperative chairperson, the clause "may serve only two consecutive terms" was changed to "matters concerning consecutive terms shall be prescribed by the articles of association." The rationale is that, in a situation where democratic control is possible through the general meeting and bylaws, limiting the number of consecutive terms by law could excessively restrict the organization's autonomy in management.
If the term limit is removed, KBIZ President Kim Ki-moon could run again for the presidency. Kim served as the 23rd and 24th KBIZ president from 2007 to 2015, and has held the 26th and 27th presidencies from 2019 to the present. The current term runs through Feb. of next year, and once it ends, the cumulative tenure will reach 16 years, making Kim the "longest-serving" president. This is the result of the current rules, which limit consecutive terms to one but do not cap the total number of nonconsecutive terms.
The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises union opposes abolishing the cap on consecutive terms. In a survey of union members asking, "What do you think about the revision to abolish the limit on consecutive terms for the KBIZ president?" 97% of the 173 respondents said they were "opposed."
Based on the survey results, the KBIZ union submitted a written opinion to the Trade. Industry Energy. SMEs. and Startups Committee, the relevant standing committee of the National Assembly, on the 16th, arguing that removing the cap on consecutive terms is unjustified and that the rule should instead limit multiple terms.
In its opinion, the union said, "KBIZ is not a private interest group but a partner in implementing government policy and an executing agency for various support projects and commissioned projects funded by subsidies," adding, "A certain level of legal control is not excessive interference but a means to pursue overall social benefits and public accountability."
Kim Ki-moon is said to have conveyed to the union that once his current term ends, he has no intention of running again for president.