Appointment of Former Lawmaker Kim Chun-jin as New President of aT

Kim Chun-jin, the new president of Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT). (Photo by aT)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) announced on the 15th that former National Assembly member Kim Choon-jin has been appointed as the 19th president. Kim’s term is three years.

aT publicly recruited candidates for the new president in January, and after interviews and evaluations by the Presidential Recommendation Committee, Kim was recommended as the final candidate. With the president’s approval, he received his appointment certificate from Kim Hyun-soo, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, on the same day. Kim will hold an online non-face-to-face inauguration ceremony at the aT headquarters in Naju on the 16th to begin his term.

Kim, a three-term lawmaker who served in the 17th, 18th, and 19th National Assemblies, has held various positions including member of the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee, chairman of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, standing representative of the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and National Dietary Development Forum, special chairman of the Democratic Party’s AI and Foot-and-Mouth Disease Prevention Special Committee, Jeonbuk regional election committee chairman for President Moon Jae-in, and Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party. During his legislative career, he led the enactment of laws directly affecting farmers’ and fishermen’s incomes, such as the Act on the Promotion of Direct Transactions of Agricultural and Fishery Products, the Act on Labeling of Origin of Agricultural and Fishery Products, and the Act on Support for Distribution Management of Fishery Products.

In his inaugural speech, he said, “With the climate crisis and COVID-19 making the stable supply of healthy food more important and emphasized, I feel a heavy responsibility being appointed as aT president. Together with the aT executives and staff who have silently played a pivotal role in the development of agriculture and fisheries, I will do my best to secure stable food for the people and improve their quality of life based on the experience and capabilities I have accumulated.”

He added, “Above all, as reckless development and environmental destruction deepen the underdevelopment of rural farming and fishing villages, the self-reliance foundation of domestic agricultural products is increasingly threatened. I plan to try initiatives such as creating various demand sources using agri-food big data and proposing supportive legislation that enables young people and retirees dreaming of returning to farming and fishing to earn stable and continuous income.”

He also expressed his ambition to gain public trust as a public institution. Kim said, “The reality is that public trust in public institutions that have played a pivotal role in national development and improving citizens’ lives is shaking. I promise to seek a future vision for aT and find areas for improvement through frequent dialogue and discussions not only with the corporation’s executives and staff but also with the labor union.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.