Inside Korea’s Social Impact

Screenshot of the HISBEANS café official website introduction page (Source: HISBEANS / Hyanggi Naeneun Saramdeul official homepage)   If you walk through the streets of South Korea in December, you are more likely to encounter people carrying cakes than the scent of roasted turkey or gingerbread cookies. In Korea, Christmas is often described as a “cake war,” a season when the consumption of cakes and bakery products peaks dramatically.   While sparkling lights, warm carols, and flashy bakery advertisements fill the streets, there are also bakeries quietly working behind the scenes — places where bread and cookies are made far from the spotlight.   Some of these bakeries are social economy enterprises. They do more than bake and sell warm, fragrant bread. Through the act of baking, they sustain communities of employment. Like any other bakery, they pour care and craftsmanship into their products, but they also bake values into every loaf and cookie, creating a qui...

Many young people today are interested in value-driven consumption. (photo by Milly)   During my time as a journalist, I had several opportunities to meet and talk with today’s youth, often referred to as the MZ generation (college students). Most conversations revolved around their interest in social values .   What I noticed was that young people are more concerned with social values than I had expected. While not every individual behaves this way, in general, youth don’t just buy products because they are cheap or aesthetically pleasing. Instead, they consider the values and philosophy behind a brand, as well as the meaning their purchase carries.   👉Consumption as a Language of Personal Values   Young people who own pets are concerned about animal welfare . Those who are disabled or have disabled friends are attentive to disability-related issues. Residents of specific regions care about regional decline and depopulation.   In other words, ...