Rep. Yoon Jun-byeong of the Democratic Party of Korea, the ruling party's chief secretary on the National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, said Wednesday that the election method for the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NongHyup) central chairman will be reformed into a direct vote by all 1.87 million cooperative members, adding that compulsory measures such as mandatory sale orders will be imposed on farmland speculation.
At a briefing following a party-government consultative meeting held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on Wednesday morning, Yoon said the current system in which only cooperative heads vote for the central chairman will be replaced with a direct election by all members. Approximately 1.87 million members, excluding those with overlapping memberships, will each exercise one vote.
The new system will take effect starting with the 2028 central chairman election. "To align the one-year gap between the central chairman and cooperative head elections, the term of the chairman elected in 2028 will be adjusted to three years so that simultaneous elections can be held from 2031," Yoon explained.
Addressing concerns about rising election costs from a nationwide direct vote, Yoon stressed, "There will be some costs, but we determined that the social costs incurred without a direct election system are greater." He added, "We will minimize additional costs by holding the election simultaneously with cooperative head elections." The party and government agreed to further review safeguards, including strengthening the board of directors' oversight function, to prevent the central chairman election from devolving into a political contest.
A comprehensive inspection targeting farmland speculation will also proceed in two phases from next month through next year. The first phase, starting next month, will cover farmland acquired since the enactment of the Farmland Act in 1996, while the second phase next year will cover farmland acquired before that date.
Compulsory measures including mandatory sale orders will be imposed on detected cases of farmland speculation. The government plans to apply the current procedure requiring sale within six months for violations of self-farming obligations, while issuing corrective guidance for minor cases.
"Areas around major cities with speculation concerns will be subject to in-depth investigation under strict criteria, while general rural areas will be assessed comprehensively for speculative intent," Yoon said. "For tenant farmers in areas where speculation is not suspected, we will establish supplementary standards to prevent excessive anxiety."
Amendments to the Farmland Act will also be pursued to ensure the effectiveness of the comprehensive inspection. The revision will make currently discretionary sale orders mandatory and impose immediate sale orders on farmland within land transaction permit zones without deferral. The legislation will also establish a legal basis allowing non-government investigators to participate in the inspection.
"Since the inspection begins in May, we will push to complete the necessary legislative revisions before then," Yoon said. "The costs for utilizing satellite imagery, drones, and other equipment needed for the inspection, as well as for hiring approximately 5,000 additional personnel, have been included in the supplementary budget submission."
The party and government discussed a supplementary budget totaling 370 billion won ($273 million) to ease the burden on farmers and fishermen caused by the prolonged conflict in the Middle East. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs prepared a 265.8 billion won supplementary budget plan, while the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries prepared a 91.9 billion won plan. The party and government plan to seek increases during the National Assembly deliberation process.
"Given the heavy fuel cost burden as the peak farming season begins, there were opinions that supplementation is needed during the review process," Yoon said. "Since the agriculture and fisheries sector represents a socially vulnerable group, I believe it is necessary to support farmers and fishermen in overcoming this crisis through budget increases rather than absorbing shortfalls internally."