Inside Korea’s Social Impact

  In a previous post, I explored how Korea’s traditional community practice of “gye” has evolved into modern forms of social finance.   👉Related article Korea’s Traditional Community Finance “Gye”: Its Expansion into Social Finance (Part 1)   From Traditional Gye to Social Finance in Korea (Part 2) On the 20th, the 2026 Global Forum on Value-Based Finance was held, where a declaration for promoting a value-based financial cooperative was presented. This reflects a growing effort to create a financial system that operates not only on profit, but on values.   In this post, I will share key discussions from the forum and examine why finance should be guided by social purpose.   Poster of the Global Forum on Value-Based Finance held on the 20th(Source: Social Innovation Entrepreneur Network) Why Do We Need a Value-Based Financial Cooperative?   To some extent, the question of “why” has already been addressed in previous posts. However, it i...

  Once a month, on the last Saturday morning of each month, there is a gathering I make sure not to miss. It is a Social Peer Learning (SPL) meeting. SPL has been running for just over a year now. It was first proposed by a practitioner in the field, bringing together people working in various organizations and institutions to learn from one another. I have been participating since the very beginning — perhaps even as a “model member” (laugh).   **Although I usually use the term “Social and Solidarity Economy” on this blog, in this article I use “Social Economy” to reflect the official name of the group. ➡See related post The Shift in Terminology: From “Social Economy” to “Social Solidarity Economy” From This Year On, I Will Use the Term “Social and Solidarity Economy” Instead of “Social Economy” During my years working as a journalist, one of the greatest advantages I experienced was that I was, in a sense, compelled to study the field I belonged to. I covered numerous ev...

  “Every time one of our products is sold, a job is created for someone from a vulnerable group.”   When you spend time reporting on the social solidarity economy, you often meet founders whose eyes light up as they speak. They passionately explain how their products create positive change in the world. Their faces are filled with anticipation, excitement, and a deep sense of purpose.   But those conversations often end with the same bitter and frustrated question.   “If we’re doing something so meaningful for society, why don’t people open their wallets?”   Many impact-driven companies believe that their social mission is their strongest competitive advantage. But at some point, an uncomfortable truth has to be faced: sometimes, that very “good story” becomes a distraction from the core of the business — and can even turn into a poison that blocks revenue.   In this post, I want to talk about the paradox of “doing good.” It may feel unc...