Park Jiwon: "Farmers Won't Suffer Losses"... Proposes Three Measures to Address Cabbage Oversupply

Agreement on Proactive Market Isolation, Income Compensation and Income Support
Park Pledges to "Coordinate Policy Directly"... Eases Distrust on the Ground

Park Jiwon, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker representing Haenam, Wando and Jindo in South Jeolla Province, held an emergency meeting on the 6th to address the oversupply of cabbage in the Haenam, Wando and Jindo area of Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Integrated City. He outlined three additional measures agreed upon with the government and expressed his firm resolve to resolve the crisis.

In a Facebook post that morning, Park said, "I raised the cabbage issue with the President and reached an agreement on the broad framework with the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs."

Park Jiwon, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea.

The meeting was attended by a large number of participants, including Haenam County Governor Myeong Hyeon-gwan and administrative officials from three counties; Min Gyeong-mae, chair of the Haenam County Council, and county council members; 10 heads of agricultural cooperatives in cabbage-producing areas; representatives of producers, including the head of the farmers' association; and officials from the NongHyup Jeonnam Regional Headquarters and branches in the three counties.

At the meeting, Park announced three additional measures secured through consultations with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA)—proactive market isolation, additional stockpiling and income compensation—in addition to the government's existing measures: purchasing and stockpiling 10,000 tons of kimjang cabbage, urging distributors to honor their contracts, and supporting consumption and exports.

"MAFRA has decided to take proactive action, including accepting the unprecedented and bold proposal for 'proactive market isolation,'" Park said. "We have ensured that farmers will not suffer losses under any circumstances and that their interests will be reflected as a top priority wherever possible."

The scope of the government's measures, initially focused mainly on fall (kimjang) cabbage, was also expanded. Park added, "I asked MAFRA to take the necessary steps to include measures for cabbage in Haenam and Jindo, which together produce 80% of winter cabbage."

Specific details of the three measures, including quantities, prices and timing, were discussed at a MAFRA-led meeting of the Cabbage-Producing Areas Consultative Council held in Haenam that afternoon.

Concerns were also voiced at the meeting about the effectiveness of government policies. Producer representatives, including the head of the Haenam Farmers' Association, said, "Even when agreements are reached with MAFRA, they are not properly followed through in practice." Some cooperative heads said they would "trust Assemblyman Park rather than the government's administrative actions and take part in the measures."

In response, Park reassured those present, saying, "My office will take responsibility for coordinating policy with MAFRA." He added, "I will reach a final agreement with the minister, so please actively support MAFRA, which is responsible for implementing the policies, to resolve this issue."

"In this unprecedented situation of large-scale cabbage overproduction, I will gather input from farmers, agricultural cooperatives, county administrations and councils, and work closely with the government to resolve the cabbage issue without fail," he pledged, expressing his gratitude to those who attended the meeting from early that morning.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.