1984년 연금공제 및 화재공제로 출범한 농협공제는 2012년 3월 2일, 농협생명보험과 농협손해보험으로 재탄생하게 되었다. 그러나, 공제의 보험으로의 전환이라고 하는 커다란 변화에도 불구하고 그 근본적인 차이에 대한 검토 및 공제 자체가 가지고 있는 공제 본래의 역할이나 기능에 대한 논의는 거의 이루어지지 않았다. 나아가, 공제에 대한 시각은 대체로 비판적이다. 즉, 우리나라에서 영위되는 공제는 일본의 영향을 받아 협동조합보험 또는 조합보험의 형태로 규모나 내용 면에서도 민영보험과 차이가 없으며, 해당 조합의 설치근거법인 특별법에 의해 영위됨으로써 보험감독당국의 규제를 받지 않고 민영보험과 상호 경쟁적으로 운영되고 있어 문제점을 내포하고 있다는 것이다. 따라서, 별도의 법체계를 통하여 공제사업을 규제․감독하는 것보다는 현행 보험업법을 개정하여 하나의 법률에서 전문 금융감독기관에 의해 보험사업과 공제사업을 통일되게 규제․감독하는 것이 합리적이라는 주장이 제기되고 있다. 일본은 2005년 보험업법 개정을 통해, 보험업의 정의를 재검토하고 그 요건에서 상대방의 불특정성을 삭제함으로써 특정인을 대상으로 보험을 인수하는 사업에 대해서도 보험업에 포함시켜 원칙적으로 보험업법의 적용 하에 두었다. 그렇지만, 다른 법률에 특별한 규정이 있는 경우 등에 대하여 예외를 인정함으로써 근거법이 있는 공제는 기존의 형태를 유지하고 있다. 그런 가운데, 보험과 공제에 대한 해석상의 엄격한 대립구도가 형성되어, 공제 문제에 대한 본격적인 논의가 진행되고 있다. 본 논문은 일본의 경험을 토대로 ‘협동조합보험으로서의 공제’와 이른바 ‘무인가 공제’와의 차이를 분명히 한다. 나아가, ‘협동조합보험으로서의 공제’는 국민의 다양한 계층에서 생활보장체계의 중요한 일부를 담당하고 있고, 협동 자치나 연대를 촉진하면서 자주적 관리에 의한 보험경영을 통해, 생활의 개선과 사회적 지위의 향상을 실현해왔다고 하는 사실을 인식하면서 공제 문제에 접근해야함을 지적한다.

Agricultural Cooperatives Gonje was restructured as NH life insurance and NH non-life insurance on March 2, 2012. Although it was a drastic change when Gonje became insurance, little study (or review) of the change nor discussion about the inherent roles and functions of Gonje has been conducted. Thus, some people argue that it is more desirable for a specialized financial supervision agency such as the Financial Supervisory Service to take control of or to supervise both insurance and Gonje with revision of the current insurance business law than to take control of or to supervise Gonje under a separate law system. In case of Japan, the Insurance Business Act was revised in 2005 in order to put every insurance business under the control of the revised law in which insurance business was redefined and uncertainty of agent was expunged from the requirements for insurance business. However, some Gonje remains under its original law as an exception just in case it was based on other laws. In the meantime, there have been conflicts over the definitions of Gonje and insurance, and serious discussions about Gonje have started. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (i) to point out that Gonje as a Co-operative Insurance is somewhat different from Gonje compared with Japan's experience; and (ii) to argue that a new approach to Gonje is required. The argument is based on the following reasons. First, Gonje as a Co-operative Insurance has taken part of living security system for people of every class. Second, Gonje as a Co-operative Insurance improved people's living conditions and promoted their social status, while it has facilitated its autonomy and solidarity on the virtue of its self-controlled management of insurance.

Agricultural Cooperatives Gonje was restructured as NH life insurance and NH non-life insurance on March 2, 2012. Although it was a drastic change when Gonje became insurance, little study (or review) of the change nor discussion about the inherent roles and functions of Gonje has been conducted. Thus, some people argue that it is more desirable for a specialized financial supervision agency such as the Financial Supervisory Service to take control of or to supervise both insurance and Gonje with revision of the current insurance business law than to take control of or to supervise Gonje under a separate law system. In case of Japan, the Insurance Business Act was revised in 2005 in order to put every insurance business under the control of the revised law in which insurance business was redefined and uncertainty of agent was expunged from the requirements for insurance business. However, some Gonje remains under its original law as an exception just in case it was based on other laws. In the meantime, there have been conflicts over the definitions of Gonje and insurance, and serious discussions about Gonje have started. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (i) to point out that Gonje as a Co-operative Insurance is somewhat different from Gonje compared with Japan's experience; and (ii) to argue that a new approach to Gonje is required. The argument is based on the following reasons. First, Gonje as a Co-operative Insurance has taken part of living security system for people of every class. Second, Gonje as a Co-operative Insurance improved people's living conditions and promoted their social status, while it has facilitated its autonomy and solidarity on the virtue of its self-controlled management of insurance.

Gongje (Mutual Aid), Gonje as a Co-Operative Insurance, Insurance Business Act