ID :
34704
Tue, 12/09/2008 - 18:34
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/34704
The shortlink copeid
Farm cooperative reform plan to be released this month
By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Yonhap) -- A comprehensive plan to reform South Korea's scandal-plagued farm cooperative will be announced within the month, the co-chair of a committee to reform the 2.4 million-strong organization said Tuesday.
Kim Wan-bae, an agriculture economics professor at Seoul National University,
said the 11-member committee's goal is to review all aspects of the National
Agricultural Cooperative Federation's governance and operations and find ways to
enhance efficiency and transparency.
The cooperative, better known as Nonghyup, has witnessed its last three heads go
to jail on corruption charges, with one implicated in a bribery scandal involving
the brother of former President Roh Moo-hyun.
The professor, who is leading the committee with Vice Agriculture Minister Jeong
Hak-soo, added that emphasis will be placed on looking at such areas as the
current election process to pick the farm cooperative's chairman and dispute
settlement measures that have been cited for being unfair.
He said that while there is not a lot of time left to meet the deadline, the role
of the committee is to select which measures will best meet the main goal of
Nonghyup.
"All the differences have been laid on the table, as well as reform measures,"
the chairman said. He added that if there are lingering differences within the
committee, a vote may be taken to settle the dispute.
Besides Kim and the vice minister, the committee is made up of three
representatives from farmers' groups like the Korean Advanced Farmers Federation,
academia and Nonghyup.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that a reform
bill for the cooperative will be sent to parliament in February.
The push for change comes after President Lee Myung-bak last week blasted the
giant public organization for gross inefficiency, political maneuvering and
corruption of senior executives. He added that Nonghyup has failed to meet the
needs of farmers.
The ministry and Nonghyup, meanwhile, said reports about a 15-percent cut in
staff are not accurate.
"Nonghyup never announced a specific manpower reduction measure, with the numbers
cited having been drawn up by a working-level government official," a senior
policymaker said.
The cooperative has 16,366 workers on its payroll. A 15-percent cut would
translate into job losses for 2,400 people.
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Yonhap) -- A comprehensive plan to reform South Korea's scandal-plagued farm cooperative will be announced within the month, the co-chair of a committee to reform the 2.4 million-strong organization said Tuesday.
Kim Wan-bae, an agriculture economics professor at Seoul National University,
said the 11-member committee's goal is to review all aspects of the National
Agricultural Cooperative Federation's governance and operations and find ways to
enhance efficiency and transparency.
The cooperative, better known as Nonghyup, has witnessed its last three heads go
to jail on corruption charges, with one implicated in a bribery scandal involving
the brother of former President Roh Moo-hyun.
The professor, who is leading the committee with Vice Agriculture Minister Jeong
Hak-soo, added that emphasis will be placed on looking at such areas as the
current election process to pick the farm cooperative's chairman and dispute
settlement measures that have been cited for being unfair.
He said that while there is not a lot of time left to meet the deadline, the role
of the committee is to select which measures will best meet the main goal of
Nonghyup.
"All the differences have been laid on the table, as well as reform measures,"
the chairman said. He added that if there are lingering differences within the
committee, a vote may be taken to settle the dispute.
Besides Kim and the vice minister, the committee is made up of three
representatives from farmers' groups like the Korean Advanced Farmers Federation,
academia and Nonghyup.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that a reform
bill for the cooperative will be sent to parliament in February.
The push for change comes after President Lee Myung-bak last week blasted the
giant public organization for gross inefficiency, political maneuvering and
corruption of senior executives. He added that Nonghyup has failed to meet the
needs of farmers.
The ministry and Nonghyup, meanwhile, said reports about a 15-percent cut in
staff are not accurate.
"Nonghyup never announced a specific manpower reduction measure, with the numbers
cited having been drawn up by a working-level government official," a senior
policymaker said.
The cooperative has 16,366 workers on its payroll. A 15-percent cut would
translate into job losses for 2,400 people.
