170 Cooperative Heads Elected in Gyeongnam... Voter Turnout 82.8%

As a result of the 3rd Nationwide Simultaneous Cooperative Head Election held on the 8th, 198,720 cooperative members in Gyeongnam participated in the voting, recording a turnout rate of 82.8%.

According to the Gyeongnam Election Commission, the total number of eligible voters for this election was 240,018, slightly higher than the 82.5% turnout rate of the first election.

The turnout rates by cooperative were 84.5% for Nonghyup, 82.7% for Suhyup, and 72.3% for the Forest Cooperatives.

Summary Table of Voter Turnout in Gyeongnam Cooperative Chief Election. [Data provided by Gyeongnam Election Commission]

Among individual cooperatives, the Bukyeong Pig Farming Cooperative in Gimhae City showed the highest participation rate at 99.3%.

The lowest turnout was recorded by the Changwon City Forest Cooperative at 60.1%.

The number of voters participating was 155,892 for Nonghyup, 21,360 for Suhyup, and 21,468 for the Forest Cooperatives.

Summary Table of Elected Candidates in Gyeongnam Cooperative Head Election. [Data provided by Gyeongnam Election Commission]

A total of 170 candidates were elected out of 383 candidates in this cooperative head election.

Among them, 128 from Nonghyup, 1 from Suhyup, and 6 from the Forest Cooperatives were elected unopposed, totaling 25 cooperatives.

Among the candidates, Son Jeongsin of Geoje Yeoncho Nonghyup was elected with the highest vote share of 85.3%, while Lee Heegyun of Sacheon Gonmyeong Nonghyup received the lowest at 28%.

Summary Table of Elected Candidates by Gender and Age in Gyeongnam Cooperative Chief Election. [Data Provided by Gyeongnam Election Commission]

The largest number of elected candidates were in their 60s, totaling 99, with the oldest elected candidate being 75-year-old Ji Hongtae of Tongyeong Gulsuhasiksuhyup, and the youngest being 41-year-old Jeong Deokgyo of Jinju Forest Cooperative, who is also the youngest nationwide.

The Gyeongnam Election Commission reported that as of election day, there were 24 cases of complaints filed for violations of the Entrusted Election Act, 3 cases referred for investigation, and 68 warnings, totaling 95 cases.

Gyeongnam Election Commission.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

An official from the Election Commission stated, “Due to the nature of the cooperative head election, managing the election was somewhat challenging because of different election methods and eligibility requirements for each cooperative, but it was smoothly completed thanks to the active participation of cooperative members and cooperation from related organizations.”

“There was active interest and self-purification efforts to eradicate money politics in this election, as cooperative members reported and exposed illegal acts or voluntarily confessed to receiving money,” the official added.

“We will continue to thoroughly track and take strong measures against illegal acts such as donation activities or receiving money even after the election ends,” and “We will diagnose and improve the issues revealed during this election process together with each cooperative,” they concluded.

Information related to the election, such as vote rates by candidate and the status of elected candidates, can be found through the popup window on the Gyeongnam Election Commission website or on the Central Election Commission website.