940 citizens took part in evaluation; 11 staff receive minister's commendation and cash prizes

Wholesale market competition reform, napa cabbage supply management among top-rated achievements

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryeong (sixth from left) poses with award recipients at a special performance bonus ceremony on June 5. [Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs]
Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryeong (sixth from left) poses with award recipients at a special performance bonus ceremony on June 5. [Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs]

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs awarded a total of 45 million won (about $29,400) in special performance bonuses to 11 employees whose policy work produced results citizens could feel directly. More than 940 members of the public took part in an online evaluation to help select the top-performing policies.

The ministry held a commendation ceremony at the Government Sejong Complex on June 5, presenting minister's citations and cash prizes to 11 staff members — one at the director-general level, five section chiefs and five administrative officers — the ministry announced Sunday.

The awards were selected from 17 special-achievement nominations submitted through the first quarter of this year, following assessments by internal and external experts, a citizen review panel and an online public-satisfaction survey.

The largest individual prize of 10 million won went to Kim Jun-hyeon, a senior administrative officer, and Song Tae-heung, an administrative officer, both of the Distribution Policy Division, for improving the distribution structure of wholesale markets. Through an amendment to the Act on Distribution and Price Stabilization of Agricultural and Fishery Products, the ministry established a competitive framework among wholesale corporations for the first time in the 40 years since public wholesale markets were founded, and pushed forward the expansion of reservation-based fixed-price transactions and the spread of electronic shipping documents.

Jeong Jeong-hee, a senior administrative officer, and Park Jeong-gon, an administrative officer, of the Food Policy Division also received 10 million won for introducing a "loan" model for government grain stocks — a first — that contributed to stabilizing rice supply and demand. Under the new approach, the ministry supplies government grain and recoups it in the form of newly harvested rice, reducing supply-and-demand pressure during the harvest season and helping stabilize rice prices.

Kim Dong-uk, an administrative officer, and Ham Jae-hyeon, an administrative officer, of the Horticultural Industry Division received 10 million won for managing the summer napa cabbage supply in a way that kept prices stable. Their work was recognized for maintaining price levels below those of last year and delivering tangible benefits to consumers.

Other achievements recognized as special performances included operating the ministry's YouTube channel "Nongrowah TV," establishing a care system for retired government service animals, and reforming the Hanwoo breeding and semen supply system.

"Civil servants who produce outstanding results must be rewarded accordingly," Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryeong said. "We will continue to generate innovative policy outcomes that citizens can feel in their daily lives."


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