Inside Korea’s Social Impact

  Social problems that appear around the world share a common characteristic. It is difficult to attribute their causes to a single factor, and they are often entangled with various elements, making them hard to resolve. In addition, issues that people recognize as social problems tend to recur over time. (Of course, some problems have been solved, but most continue over long periods.^^)   I, too, am experiencing a problem that can be classified as a social issue. The issue I am currently facing is related to housing (real estate).   In Korea, housing prices vary by region, and in the Seoul metropolitan area where I live, housing prices are extremely high. For younger generations who have not yet built a solid asset base, it is very difficult to own a home in this area.   However, if you live in a rented home instead of owning one, you may have to move when the contract period ends (in Korea, contracts are typically for two years). This creates instabilit...

  We truly live in an age of information overload. Through news outlets, social media, and countless platforms, we are constantly exposed to an overwhelming amount of content. In Korea especially, where IT infrastructure is highly advanced, it takes less than a second to find the information we need on a smartphone.   The social impact sector is no exception. A vast amount of news and information is produced every day. Reflecting on my time as a journalist, whenever I covered a specific event and wrote an article, numerous similar articles would appear at once. This was because many reporters attended the same event, and media coverage was often based on press releases distributed by the organizers.   In such an environment, it becomes surprisingly difficult to identify the information that truly matters. (As a journalist, I had to process far more information than most people. There were days when I wished someone would simply curate everything I needed to read.)...

  In this blog, I have previously mentioned the development and role of cooperatives in Korea. In today’s post, I would like to write about how cooperatives can play a role in solving social problems and introduce several examples.   📌Cooperatives Are Not Just Business Organizations   Most people think of cooperatives simply as business organizations. This is also the case in Korea. Rather than pursuing only individual profit, some people establish cooperatives as a way of doing business that pursues shared benefits and collective values.   On the other hand, there are also cases where cooperatives are established in order to run businesses that aim to solve social problems. For example, socially disadvantaged groups such as people with disabilities or older adults may form cooperatives and run businesses together, allowing them to continue sustainable social activities.   In addition, cooperatives are sometimes highlighted as a direct way to ad...