<h1>The Power That Connects Korea’s Social Economy Ecosystem: Community Expert Interview (Part 1)</h1>

Nahyunhong (right) pictured with a cooperative member(Photo courtesy of Nahyunhong)

 Social economy and social innovation are not abstract concepts. In practice, they take shape through real people with clear roles, actively working in the field. Among them, those who connect—linking regions and institutions, experimentation and scale—are already playing a critical role in helping social economy and social innovation function effectively and expand further. By identifying needs both online and offline, they create structures that allow actors with different values and speeds to work together.

 

These community experts are not merely intermediaries; they are practitioners who sustain momentum. They go beyond simply connecting people, supporting collaborations so that they lead to tangible outcomes. While failures and trial-and-error inevitably arise along the way, they help transform these experiences into accumulated knowledge and know-how.

 

For the social economy to function not just as individual organizational achievements but as a living ecosystem, the accumulated efforts of these connectors—already visible and active on the ground—play a foundational role.

 

This article features an interview with Hyunhong Na, a community expert active in Korea’s social economy ecosystem. Na serves as the Chairperson of Social Bridge Cooperative, a web agency cooperative, and operates online chat communities where social economy practitioners and social innovators across the country can communicate and share information. He also collects, organizes, and shares information online so that organizations can easily understand and connect with one another.

 

In this article, he is referred to as CEO Na Hyunhong, based on his role at Social Bridge Cooperative.

 

Hyunhong Na, CEO, building communities in South Korea’s social economy and social innovation sector(Source: Photo courtesy of Hyunhong Na)

Q: You currently organize and operate communities that connect social economy organizations and social innovators in Korea. What communities are you running, and what problem awareness or need led you to start them?

 

A: I operate online communities, open chat rooms, and newsletters focused on Korea’s social economy. In the beginning, there was a strong awareness that collaboration and solidarity are important in the social economy—but in reality, actually collaborating was not easy.

 

While regional networks existed, there were almost no networks operating at a national level. Recognizing this gap, I decided to start something relatively lightweight to help change the situation.

 

I spent a lot of time thinking about how to create a network that anyone could access easily and for free. Eventually, I opened group chat rooms on the messaging platforms most commonly used in Korea, making them open to anyone involved in social economy or social innovation.

 

Within these open chat rooms and online communities, people share information and seek advice. For example, they discuss procedures for establishing or dissolving a cooperative, or exchange information about catering providers available in specific regions. A wide range of practical, on-the-ground knowledge circulates through these spaces.

 

Q: Could you briefly introduce your main work at Social Bridge Cooperative, and explain how it connects to your community activities?

 

A: Social Bridge Cooperative is a web agency cooperative. We mainly work on website development, online shopping mall construction, and product detail page design.

 

In the process of building websites, we needed to deeply understand each social and solidarity economy organization—what kind of work they do and what business they run. After launching their websites, we also provided basic guidance on how they could approach online promotion.

 

Through this work, when organizations looked for other enterprises with different business models, we often helped connect them with suitable partners. Additionally, when public or private sector support programs targeting social economy or social innovation organizations were announced, we shared that information with organizations for whom it was relevant.

 

The community itself is an open space where anyone can introduce themselves or organizations they know. It also functions as a channel for sharing information about training programs, events, and projects run by other social economy organizations.

 

Q: Based on your experience and what you hear from the field, what do you think is the biggest challenge facing Korea’s social economy and social innovation sector today?

 

A: For smaller organizations—especially those with five or fewer members—or groups with limited business experience, the biggest challenge is operational sustainability, particularly stable revenue generation. I’ve often seen organizations unable to attend necessary training sessions or networking opportunities simply because they couldn’t afford the cost at the time.

 

Many organizations also operate very similar business models, and in many cases, they resemble typical small business models with social economy values layered on top. I think a major challenge lies in developing truly differentiated business models.

 

The interview with Chairperson Na Hyunhong continues in Part 2.

👀Read Part 2 of the Interview

How Communities Create Change: Interview with a Community Expert (Part 2)

👉Do you have more questions for CEO Na Hyunhong?

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We will collect your questions and address them in a follow-up interview.