'NongHyup Reform Committee' Launched with External Experts... "Accelerating Internal Reforms"

The NongHyup Central Association has launched the "NongHyup Reform Committee," which includes participation from external experts. NongHyup plans to accelerate its internal reforms through this committee.

On the 20th, NongHyup announced that it held the first meeting of the committee at its main office in Seoul and officially launched the NongHyup Reform Committee, which includes members from academia, agricultural organizations, consumer groups, and the legal community.

Kwangbeom Lee, Chairman of the NongHyup Reform Committee, NongHyup Central Association

Previously, on January 8, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs released interim results of a special audit of the NongHyup Central Association and the NongHyup Foundation. The audit revealed Chairman Kang Hodong's misuse of public funds for luxury accommodations, inadequate internal controls, lenient disciplinary actions for executives and employees, and improper fund management. In response, on January 13, Chairman Kang issued a public apology and pledged to establish a reform committee to address the organization's structural issues.

To ensure independence and objectivity in its operations, the reform committee consists of 14 members, 11 of whom are external experts. Kwangbeom Lee, Chairman of the Board at LKB Pyeongsan Law Firm, was elected as the committee chairman.

The committee will serve as an official platform for discussions on structural reform and organizational improvement, reflecting not only internal perspectives but also the opinions of external experts, as well as issues raised by the government and the National Assembly. Meetings will be held regularly each month, with the second meeting scheduled for February 24. Through this process, NongHyup intends to accelerate its internal reforms.

Going forward, the committee will focus on key issues such as improving the governance structure of the central association and its affiliates, strengthening democratic management of cooperatives, enhancing management transparency, and boosting organizational and business competitiveness. In addition, the committee will comprehensively review the interim audit results from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, proposed amendments to the NongHyup Act, and major innovation tasks across the NongHyup group to identify concrete reform initiatives that can be implemented by relevant departments.

A NongHyup official stated, "Our goal is to fundamentally review NongHyup from an external perspective and to develop actionable reform plans," adding, "Through this reform, NongHyup will faithfully fulfill its original role for agriculture and rural communities, and become an organization trusted by the public."