[Interview] To Changemakers Still Dreaming of Alternatives (Part 3)

 Haengbok Joongsim Co-op, which actively operated for 35 years supplying eco-friendly food for healthy eating, turned its final page in 2024. In Parts 1 and 2, we explored the history and values of Haengbok Joongsim Co-op through an interview with Ahn In-sook, former President of the Haengbok Joongsim Federation of Consumer Cooperatives, who made diverse efforts to survive until the very end as president.

 

Today marks the final interview piece with former President Ahn. Unlike the previous articles, this post contains the philosophy, painful lessons, and suggestions for the future gained through the experience of Haengbok Joongsim Co-op.

 

👉👉Read Part 1 & 2 first

[Interview] Why South Korean Women Built Cooperatives (Part 1) 

[Interview] The Values Sustained by Haengbok Joongsim Co-op for 35 Years (Part 2)

Q. Looking back on the past 35 years, what made you feel most proud, thinking, "We changed the world this much"?

 

A. As an example of influencing laws and systems, I would point to walking alongside the movement for free, eco-friendly school meals. For example, in Gyeonggi Province, the free school meal movement started not from municipal or provincial council members, but through a resident-led petition, and the cooperatives drove that signature campaign. Since we valued food, we wished for our children to eat good and healthy things, and when talking about the policy environment related to that, universal free school meals were considered better. We also consistently attended rallies related to eco-friendly school meals alongside other consumer co-ops across the country.

 

Another milestone was the enactment of the National Dietary Education Act, which was accomplished largely centered around cooperatives, and we began training professional dietary instructors. We had already been talking about "how to eat well" well before then. Beyond that, while it was not done solely by Haengbok Joongsim Co-op, we early on led lifestyle-based environmental practices and campaigns within the current of citizen culture and social movements. For example, encouraging practices like carrying tumblers, handkerchiefs, and shopping bags to protect the environment in daily life also had an influence. Furthermore, we did various things such as supporting small organizations through the cooperative welfare fund and helping women return to society through Korean Womenlink.

 

Rather than waiting for a new era that will come someday and living painfully today, we believed that the seeds are already within us. Thinking about how we would ever know when a new era comes if we do not keep alive the spark of striving to be better at every moment in daily life, I believe the philosophy and campaigns of practicing change starting from what we eat and from our daily lives were truly meaningful.

 

Q. If you could turn back time a few years, is there anything in organizational management or decision-making where you think, "I would have handled this differently"?

 

A. I think I would have been more vigilant about deficits and sought ways to reduce costs early on. It is not easy for working staff to cut costs on their own, and member representatives do not know business management well, making it difficult for them to intervene. However, as president, I reflect that I should have strongly demanded concrete and decisive measures. Looking at it from a business perspective, I think I should have carried out personnel and business restructuring more decisively in my first year.

 

At the time, there were many staff members who wanted to move on to larger cooperatives or other companies through Haengbok Joongsim, and there were indeed many cases of people moving to larger organizations. For the survival and financial soundness of the organization, a decision should have been made earlier, and it remains a point of deep regret and reflection that I was not able to do so.

 

Also, as we separated and became independent from Korean Womenlink, the organizational identity of "women as main agents" gradually faded. The systematic process of nurturing co-op members into leaders equipped with women-centered consciousness weakened, and subsequent education sessions ended up fragmented. As a result, not being able to continuously foster leadership equipped with women-centered insight and perspective was a profound pain for the organization.

 

Q. Having gone through various ups and downs, if you were to return to your youth and start working to change the world again, would you choose cooperatives again, or look for a completely different way?

 

A. I think I would choose cooperatives again. A cooperative is a sustainable mode of social movement that builds businesses based on genuine needs and turns aspirations into social agendas. The cooperatives on the ground today are doing precisely that work.

 

Q. Even now, many changemakers around the world are running social and solidarity economy organizations such as cooperatives and social enterprises, dreaming of a "better world." Through the painful experience of one of Korea's leading cooperatives, what advice would you like to share with them?

 

A. Modern cooperatives, born within capitalist society, allow people to experience what cannot be gained through the commodity logic of the market economy, while remaining capable of being just as efficient as conventional businesses.

 

In cooperatives, the two wheels of "organization (movement)" and "business (management)" still need to run in balance. Discovering leadership, improving member education, and strengthening relationships among members are still profoundly important.

 

Above all, what I want to ask of activists and executives in the social sector is to dedicate themselves even more fiercely to equipping themselves with the business skills to operate their enterprises cool-headedly and efficiently, just as much as the noble values they pursue. Because values can truly blossom only upon solid business sustainability.

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❓Do you have questions for Ahn In-sook, former President of Haengbok Joongsim Federation of Consumer Cooperatives?🎈

 

We value your thoughts and reflections. If you have questions or messages you would like to share with former President Ahn, please feel free to send them to [email address]. We will compile your feedback and address it in our follow-up interview.