NACF chief to be grilled over alleged illegal campaigning

[THE INVESTOR] National Agricultural Cooperative Federation chairman Kim Byeong-won is to be questioned by the prosecution for alleged wrongdoing in the election process on June 30.

The NACF is Korea’s largest agroindustry body that counts NongHyup Financial Group among its affiliates. Its chairman is elected among chiefs of regional branches who run for office. Kim was elected as the chairman of NACF in January, and it has since emerged that he may have been involved in illegal campaign activities.

Kim is the fifth NACF chief to be elected into office, and the fifth elected-chairman to come under investigation. 

He is suspected of being involved in sending text messages calling on 107 delegates for support, sent by Choi Duk-gyu, the chief of NACF’s branch in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province. Choi had run for office, but was pushed out in the first round. At the time Kim was running for chairmanship as head of the Naju branch in South Jeolla Province. The investigators had raided his home and office on June 17.

With the statute of limitation on the case set to expire on July 12, the prosecutors’ office is widely expected to indict Kim in the near future.

By Choi He-suk (cheeuk@heraldcorp.com)