[Swung by Dinosaur Alliances in NongHyup Part 1] Voices of 'Urban NongHyup' Grow Louder over Introduction of Additional Voting Rights

Reform from 293 Delegate Votes in Indirect Election to 1,259 Direct Votes for Union Chiefs
Additional Voting Rights Allocating 2 Votes Each to 141 Unions with Over 3,000 Members
54% of Large Unions Are 'Urban Unions'... "Undermining the Purpose of Enhancing Rural and Farmer Rights"

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok]

The National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) is entering the era of 'direct election of the president' for the first time in 12 years. Changes in the governance structure and decision-making process of the NACF have become inevitable. This article analyzes how this will impact the enhancement of rights and interests of all cooperative members.

The direct election system for the NACF president, representing 2.09 million cooperative members, is set to be revived after 12 years. While the agricultural sector welcomes the reform to direct elections, it remains negative about the introduction of 'additional voting rights' that allocate votes differently based on a threshold of 3,000 members per cooperative. Even if the bill is enacted, controversy is expected to continue. Critics argue that in the election of the NACF president and major decision-making processes, the opinions of large-scale cooperatives with many members will be prioritized, potentially undermining the NACF’s original purpose of improving the rights and interests of rural areas and farmers.

According to the NACF, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and political circles on the 22nd, the ruling and opposition parties plan to submit and pass the amendment to the NACF Act at the plenary session as early as the 24th. The amendment includes the reform to direct election of the NACF president and the introduction of additional voting rights. This reform to direct elections comes 12 years after the introduction of the indirect election system in 2009. The system will change from an indirect election with 293 delegate votes to a direct election with 1,259 cooperative head votes, while maintaining the principle of winning by majority vote. The 'magic number' will change from 147 votes to 630 votes. Additional voting rights will grant two votes to 141 large cooperatives with 3,000 or more members, while the remaining 977 cooperatives will have one vote each. This reflects the intention to better represent the voices of more cooperative members.

However, the opinions of cooperative members are likely to be reflected mainly through large-scale cooperatives. Large cooperatives will secure 282 votes, which accounts for 45% of the 630 votes needed to win the election. Although these cooperatives represent only 13% of the total number of cooperatives, they hold 22% of the voting rights. Notably, 54% (76 cooperatives) of the 141 large cooperatives are 'urban cooperatives.' City-level cooperatives such as Jeju, Suncheon, and Daegu-Gyeongbuk Apple Cooperative have more than 10,000 members.

Because of this, debates over the fairness of additional voting rights continue among regional cooperatives and political circles. Seo Samsuk, a member of the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee and a Democratic Party lawmaker, criticized, "If cooperatives with 3,000 or more members have two votes, the NACF presidential candidates will inevitably be conscious of the votes from those cooperatives," adding, "This could undermine the purpose of switching to a direct election system."

He also acknowledged that cooperatives with 3,000 or more members pose a problem. This phenomenon is already evident in the NACF delegate election, where additional voting rights are applied. In delegate cooperative head elections, cooperatives with 3,000 or more members have three votes, those with 2,000 to less than 3,000 members have two votes, and cooperatives with fewer than 2,000 members have one vote.

Cooperative head A pointed out, "Cooperatives with large memberships inevitably have an advantage," adding, "Since delegate cooperative head elections are dominated by large cooperatives, the pattern of the NACF presidential election is predictable."

Lee Hojung, standing director of the Agricultural and Fisheries Policy Forum and former member of the 'Good Cooperative Committee' under the Presidential Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Affairs (Agricultural Special Committee), said, "The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs strongly advocated for the introduction of additional voting rights in the reform of the NACF president direct election system," adding, "They must have considered that if a 'one cooperative, one vote' system with 1,118 votes were implemented, the voices of regional cooperatives would grow stronger, making it difficult to control the organization."

A Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs official responded, "It is neither the government’s proposal to introduce additional voting rights to oppose direct elections nor a newly proposed measure," adding, "Since additional voting rights are already applied under the NACF Act, the government’s position is that exceptions cannot be made only for the NACF presidential election."

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