Inside Korea’s Social Impact

  Korean social impact organizations pursue both “social value” and “profit” at the same time. In other words, they create social value through business methods. Because of this, many social impact organizations in Korea were often positively recognized simply for having “good intentions.” In particular, activities such as creating jobs for vulnerable groups or solving community problems were considered meaningful in themselves.   However, as the social impact ecosystem gradually expanded, it became increasingly difficult to fully explain the role and achievements of organizations through “good intentions” alone. Especially during the previous administration, as greater emphasis was placed on the self-reliance and sustainability of the social and solidarity economy and social innovation organizations, this atmosphere spread even further.   Around 2022, the importance of impact measurement — proving “what changed and how” — began to receive serious attention. Korea...