The ruling Democratic Party and the South Korean government have announced a plan to establish an independent audit committee for the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) to address issues of corruption and enhance transparency within the organization. According to Yoon Jun-byeong, a member of the National Assembly and the party's representative on agricultural issues, the new committee will be created as a special corporation that will oversee comprehensive auditing functions across the NACF and its member cooperatives, replacing the current system where auditing is conducted internally.

This initiative comes on the heels of recent revelations about various misconducts involving NACF executives, including the misuse of funds and other financial irregularities. The government has already referred specific cases involving serious allegations to investigative authorities. The ruling party aims to also mandate the reporting of criminal acts committed by NACF employees and introduce measures to suspend individuals found guilty of misconduct. Additionally, there is a goal to expand the oversight capabilities of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs to include not only the central cooperative but also its subsidiaries, thereby eliminating oversight blind spots.

Further enhancements to governance practices are being discussed, such as clearly prohibiting undue influence by the NACF president over the subsidiaries and ensuring more transparency regarding financial and personnel matters. The party and the government have emphasized that member cooperatives and their members will have increased transparency concerning financial resources and personnel recommendations. They also plan to reform the election process for the NACF leadership to reduce corruption risks by increasing member participation and setting stricter penalties against bribery in elections, reinforcing a commitment to a new era of accountability and integrity within the cooperative sector.