The government has launched discussions on reforms to address NongHyup's cash-for-votes election problem and its weak internal controls. The move follows a series of alleged misconduct cases involving the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and member cooperatives that have recently come to light.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said on the 30th it will launch the public-private "NongHyup reform task force," a joint body to discuss structural improvements to NongHyup's overall system, and hold its first meeting.
The NongHyup reform task force is a public-private consultative body co-led by Director General Won Seung-yeon, a professor at Myongji University, and Vice Minister Kim Jong-gu of the agriculture ministry. A total of 12 people, including experts from the farming community, civil society, and the cooperative, finance, and legal fields, will take part.
Starting with its inaugural meeting, the task force will hold weekly regular meetings from February and discuss as key tasks: ▲ improvements to the election system to eradicate cash-for-votes elections ▲ strengthening NongHyup's internal controls and enhancing operational transparency ▲ revitalizing economic projects and defining the role of urban cooperatives. Based on the discussions, the ministry plans to accelerate work on drafting amendments to the Agricultural Cooperative Act.
The launch of the task force also aligns with the ongoing government joint special audit. The government, led by the Office for Government Policy Coordination, is conducting a special audit of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and the NongHyup Foundation, and plans to announce the results in March. The ministry said it will reflect problems identified through the special audit in its discussions on institutional improvements.
Co-director Won Seung-yeon said, "For NongHyup to function as an organization for farmers, a fundamental review of the election system and internal controls is necessary," and added, "Through the task force discussions, we will draw up practical reform tasks." Vice Minister Kim Jong-gu also said, "We will ensure the task force does not remain a mere advisory body but becomes an action-oriented forum that can lead to legislation."