Inside South Korea’s Social Impact

  On August 20, South Korea's National Assembly finally passed the Framework Act on the Social and Solidarity Economy. This milestone comes 13 years after practitioners in the field first called for comprehensive legislation. Colleagues across the social impact sector shared congratulations and applause. Given the long journey to this point, the prevailing sentiment is that field perspectives must continue to guide the ongoing implementation and refinement of the law.   This article outlines the core provisions of the newly enacted Framework Act and explores what it means for the ecosystem.   Defining Social and Solidarity Economy🍪   The Framework Act defines the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) as follows: "Economic activities conducted based on mutual aid, cooperation, and solidarity to achieve shared community benefits and deliver social values."   One of the most significant aspects of the Framework Act is that it bridges previously fragm...

Scene from the forum on August 19 (Photo by Milly)   I have discussed community integrated care several times on this blog. As South Korea has officially become a super-aged society, active discussions and policies around care are underway nationwide, with local governments implementing initiatives tailored to their specific regional contexts.   In Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, where I currently reside, discussions on care are also actively taking place. On August 19, I attended a forum organized in Goyang to explore future development directions for healthy integrated care. In this article, I want to share the key takeaways from that forum. Rather than focusing strictly on Goyang, I will examine why community integrated care is vital for South Korean society as a whole.   Aging in Place: Staying in the Community You Know🐤   Historically, care in South Korean society was largely viewed as an individual family responsibility or provided through institut...

  At one of the companies I worked for in the past, we had a unique way of addressing each other. Instead of using official job titles, we dropped family names and addressed everyone by their first name followed by the honorific suffix '-nim.' The goal was to foster a flat, egalitarian organizational culture regardless of rank. (In Korean workplace culture, addressing colleagues without formal titles is quite unfamiliar, so I remember taking quite some time to get used to it!)   Looking back, many social impact organizations similarly use the '-nim' suffix, or adopt English names and nicknames rather than using traditional titles. Beyond titles, organizations actively introduce various flexible work policies, such as flexible hours and enhanced employee welfare benefits.   Presumably, this is based on the belief that a well-established organizational culture leads to strong performance. However, organizational performance does not improve merely through superfic...