Direct Election System for the Nonghyup Chairperson
Overview
The direct election system for the Nonghyup chairperson is an electoral system in which the chairperson of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation is elected not through nomination by executives or an indirect vote by a small number of delegates, but through direct voting by cooperative members and an electoral college elected by cooperative members. It was introduced following the 2011 amendment to the Agricultural Cooperatives Act, and the first direct election was held in 2012. Since then, it has established itself as a key mechanism for ensuring Nonghyup's democratic governance and agricultural producers' representation. At the same time, issues such as whether to adopt a fully direct election system, election costs, and money-driven and overheated elections have been continuously raised.
Key Details
Background: Nonghyup's Governance Structure
Nonghyup is a multi-tiered cooperative organization based on the Agricultural Cooperatives Act. Regional agricultural cooperatives and item-specific agricultural cooperatives, in which individual farmers participate as members, form the first tier, and these in turn constitute the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation. The Federation oversees credit business (Nonghyup Bank), economic business, and education and support projects, and its chairperson, as the representative of the Federation, exercises enormous influence over organizational operations and policy responses overall. Accordingly, the method of electing the chairperson has led to the question of determining Nonghyup's power structure and the level of reflection of farmers' will.
Introduction of the Direct Election System
Until the 2000s, the chairperson of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation was often elected through an indirect system centered on the Federation's delegates, and criticism was raised that the will of a small number of executives and delegates did not sufficiently reflect the will of all cooperative members. In response, demands for 'direct election by cooperative members' expanded, centered on farmers' organizations and some members of the National Assembly, and with the 2011 amendment to the Agricultural Cooperatives Act, the procedure for electing the Federation chairperson was converted to a direct voting method. Choi Won-byeong (최원병) was elected through the first direct election in 2012; thereafter Kim Byeong-won (김병원) in 2014, Lee Seong-hee (이성희) in 2019, and Kang Ho-dong (강호동) in 2023 were elected through elections, and the system became established.
Election Method and Procedure
Under the current system, the chairperson election is held by a vote of an electoral college composed of the heads of regional and item-specific agricultural cooperatives nationwide and delegates elected by cooperative members, among others. It is not a fully direct election system in which all cooperative members vote directly, but compared with the past indirect election system in which only Federation executives and a small number of delegates participated, it is evaluated as a method that has greatly expanded representativeness. Candidate registration requirements, the period and methods of election campaigning, the ceiling on election costs, and the management and supervision procedures of the Central Election Management Committee are governed by laws, regulations, and the articles of incorporation, and voting is conducted through regional touring polling stations or electronic methods, among others.
Major Issues
First is the issue of a fully direct election system. The claim that all cooperative members should vote directly conflicts with the position that, considering the size of the organization and costs, the electoral college system is realistic. Second is the issue of overheated elections and money-driven or fraudulent elections. As the burden of election costs and organizational mobilization grows, demands for stronger supervision to ensure fairness continue. Third, the distribution of authority between the Federation and regional agricultural cooperatives and the issue of influence by the government and political circles are also intertwined with discussions of the direct election system. Fourth, raising turnout and expanding the representation of small-scale farmers and young farmers are also cited as important tasks.
Recent Trends
Since 2024, the National Assembly and agricultural circles have continued discussions on amending the Agricultural Cooperatives Act to further broaden the representativeness of the Federation chairperson election. Expanding the scope of the electoral college, introducing electronic voting, strengthening regulations on election campaigns, and expanding disclosure of election costs are mentioned as major agenda items. Under the leadership of Chairperson Kang Ho-dong, who took office in 2023, demands for organizational reform and improvement of the election system are also proceeding in parallel, and ahead of the next chairperson election, whether to introduce a fully direct election system and how to secure election fairness are expected to emerge again as key issues.
Related Topics
- [[National Agricultural Cooperative Federation]]
- [[Agricultural Cooperatives Act]]
- [[Cooperative]]
- [[Delegate System]]
- [[Agricultural Policy]]