Inside Korea’s Social Impact

  South Korea is facing multiple, overlapping social challenges, including regional depopulation, low birth rates and population aging, care crises, and the climate emergency. The social solidarity economy has often been discussed as a way to address these issues through business and market-based solutions. However, in Part 2 of this interview with Kim Wang-young, we take a slightly different perspective — one that moves beyond conventional expectations of how social problems should be “solved.”   Kim argues that the role of the social solidarity economy is not limited to encouraging consumers to purchase socially driven products or services. Instead, he emphasizes the importance of enabling citizens themselves to become active participants in addressing social challenges — learning together, engaging in dialogue, and collectively organizing responses. The capacities built through this process, he explains, can become a foundation that sustains society and offers a more fu...

  [Editor’s Note🖉] Korea’s cooperative movement and social and solidarity economy have grown rapidly over a relatively short period of time, supported by legal and institutional frameworks. Since the enactment of the Framework Act on Cooperatives in 2012, cooperatives have expanded steadily across various sectors, evolving beyond a single organizational form.   Today, however, the central question is shifting — from “How many cooperatives have been created?” to “How well are they actually functioning?” The focus is moving away from quantitative growth toward qualitative maturity.   This interview captures the perspective of Kim Wang-young, CEO of CoopBiz Cooperative, who has long engaged with cooperatives and the social and solidarity economy through the lens of education. As both a young practitioner and a long-time participant in the field, he offers candid reflections from on-the-ground experience. Rather than focusing solely on institutional outcomes or busin...

Cooperatives redefine the meaning of our lives. Photo from the International Day of Cooperatives held last July.(Photo by Milly)  Cooperatives in Korea are more than just part of the social economy . They embody a philosophy — a search for how to live and work together.   The Rise of Cooperatives   Since the enactment of the Framework Act on Cooperatives in 2012 , more than 20,000 cooperatives have been established in Korea within just a decade. (As of 2022, the number reached 23,939.) This rapid growth reflects a growing awareness that the market-centered system alone cannot fully address the needs of local communities or solve complex social problems.   People First : The Core Principle   In a cooperative, members are the owners, and people — not profit — come first. Members are both consumers and producers, workers and decision-makers. Among the most important principles is participation. Even if it takes more time, cooperatives value collect...

 On June 3, 2025, Lee Jae-myung was elected as the 21st President of the Republic of Korea. In this election, President Lee presented his pledges on the "basic society" and the social economy as one of Korea’s future strategic directions. This goes beyond merely supplementing the existing welfare system and emphasizes the potential of the social economy as a new societal paradigm that ensures all citizens can lead a life of dignity and stability. A basic society refers to a society that does not stop at fragmentary welfare policies or simple income redistribution, but one that guarantees a basic and stable life for all citizens in a tangible way. President Lee stressed that, “Realizing a basic society cannot be achieved by the government alone. It requires cooperation among various actors, including social economy organizations, cooperatives, private enterprises, and civil society organizations.” This multi-stakeholder cooperation, he emphasized, is what will make policies mo...

Korean countryside, photographed by me. (Photo by Milly)  Social innovation in Korea is not a recent phenomenon. In fact, it has long been embedded in the everyday lives of Korean people. Its roots lie in the culture of “community.” Traditionally, Korean society had a strong culture of mutual aid and cooperation among neighbors. What we now call “social innovation” was already being practiced in various forms within these traditional community structures. Some representative examples of traditional Korean community practices include Gye, Dure, Hyangyak, and Pumasi. Gye : A system in which a group of people regularly contribute a set amount of money to a collective fund, which is then distributed to members in turn. It served as a grassroots financial tool for those without access to formal banking. Dure : A cooperative labor system in which villagers helped each other with farming, especially during busy agricultural seasons. It was essential to the functioning of rural communities...