Moon Geumju Calls for Stronger Institutional Support for Eochongyejang

Representative Proposal for the Amendment of the Fisheries Cooperative Act

Moon Geumju, Member of the National Assembly.

Moon Geumju, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Goheung, Boseong, Jangheung, and Gangjin in South Jeolla Province, announced on May 13 that he had submitted a bill to amend the Fisheries Cooperative Act. The main focus of the amendment is to strengthen institutional support for leaders of fishing village fraternities (Eochongyejang).

Since May 7, Moon has been conducting the "Neighborhood Listening Tour," during which he has gathered various local concerns, including those from fishing village fraternities. Through this process, he identified a significant lack of support for Eochongyejang, who are at the forefront of fisheries policy implementation, and explained that this prompted him to pursue the legislative amendment.

Under the current law, members of regional fisheries cooperatives are organized into fishing village fraternities to carry out joint projects and improve fisheries productivity and village life. However, there are no detailed provisions specifying support for Eochongyejang, who represent these fraternities, making the law ineffective in practice.

In particular, village heads or neighborhood leaders, who similarly contribute to local administration, are appointed by local governments under the Local Autonomy Act and receive a monthly allowance of around 400,000 won. However, Eochongyejang, who perform comparable public functions, lack a legal basis for equivalent support, raising concerns about fairness.

The proposed amendment stipulates that the term of Eochongyejang can be set by the fraternity's bylaws for up to four years, with the possibility of reappointment. It also includes provisions to allow the payment of activity allowances to Eochongyejang.

Moon emphasized, "Although Eochongyejang play a vital role in fishing villages, there is insufficient institutional support for them." He added, "It is urgent to establish a legal basis for supporting Eochongyejang so they can perform their duties smoothly, thereby strengthening the public functions of fishing village fraternities and promoting the sustainable maintenance of fishing communities."

Moon also stated, "I will thoroughly review the various concerns raised during the 'Neighborhood Listening Tour' and address each one to bring about changes that residents can truly feel."