NongHyup said cooperative heads and farmers from across the country held a “joint farmers’ declaration to defend NongHyup autonomy” at the Assembly on Tuesday morning. Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced a reform plan, reached through consultations with the ruling party, centered on stronger internal controls and introducing direct elections by cooperative members for the chair of the NongHyup Federation.
At the event, participants urged lawmakers to: immediately halt what they called government-led supervision that infringes on autonomy; remove provisions they described as “poison pills” that undermine legal stability; preserve the federation’s authority to guide and supervise subsidiaries to protect its cooperative identity; withdraw a plan to create a new, inefficient audit body; and stop efforts to change the chair’s election to a direct vote by members.
The emergency committee defending NongHyup autonomy said the government’s stance has not changed since a farmers’ rally on April 21. It argued the government is pushing revisions — including changes to the chair’s election method and the creation of a NongHyup audit committee — without sufficient discussion, despite expectations of sharp debate.
The committee also criticized the limits of regional briefings. It said sessions held April 22 in Daegu and April 24 in Cheongju and Suwon included cooperative heads and farm groups but ended without adequately reflecting views from the field, leaving concerns in farming communities unresolved.
Major national farm organizations joined the declaration and issued a solidarity statement. “Excessive regulation and control of NongHyup could ultimately lead to cuts in support programs for farmers and increased management burdens on farm households,” the groups said, adding they would “stay united and respond together to the end” because the issue is directly tied to farmers’ livelihoods.
Park Kyung-sik, a co-chair of the emergency committee, said farmers had again gathered outside the Assembly after setting aside their work because they believe losing NongHyup’s autonomy would “directly lead to a crisis in agriculture.” Calling the revision “intervention, not reform,” he said institutional changes should come through sufficient discussion and public debate, not speed-driven legislation.
Park said the rally showed the determination of people in the field to defend NongHyup’s autonomy and urged the Assembly to reflect views in a balanced way from farmers, NongHyup members and farm groups.
The committee said it plans to deliver the joint declaration read at the event to the National Assembly.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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