Inside Korea’s Social Impact

  In a previous blog post, I introduced a learning group that I participate in called Social Peer Learning (SPL). We had another SPL meeting on February 28, and in this post I would like to share some of the key ideas discussed during that session.   👉Read related articles A Monthly “Social Peer Learning” Gathering: A Learning Community I Am Part Of The topic of the session was “Corporate Social Responsibility and the Social and Solidarity Economy.” We discussed why corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are important for the social impact sector.   🌞The Situation of Social Impact Organizations in Korea   What distinguishes social impact organizations from conventional businesses is that their primary goal is to address social problems. Because of this mission-driven nature, many social impact organizations tend to be relatively small and often face limitations in terms of resources.   As a result, questions about long-term sustainability...

I attended the "2025 Collective Impact Creation Forum" at this year’s Social Value Festa. The photo shows the scene at the event.(Photo by Milly) On August 25 – 26, the 2nd Korea Social Value Festa was held at COEX in Seoul, featuring various sessions. Among them, I attended the “2025 Collective Impact Creation Forum” session, which presented why collaboration is important for social economy and social innovation enterprises. In today’s post, I will review what I learned from this session.   “Collaboration” is a keyword I have emphasized multiple times on my blog. Climate crisis, low birth rate and aging population, regional extinction, and growing inequality are just some of the social problems that need to be addressed, and individual companies or organizations cannot fully tackle them alone. Therefore, in recent years, Korea’s social economy, social innovation, and social impact sectors have emphasized “collective impact,” and many discussions are held on how to implem...

Local networking event from late last year, bringing people together.(Photo by Milly)  Social innovation organizations are often seen as “doing good for society,” but sustaining that work is far from easy. A single organization often faces limitations   lack of resources, isolation, and limited influence. Doing good doesn’t automatically mean making a profit.   In South Korea, the social innovation space remains relatively small, so many organizations build networks as a foundation for growth. These networks are often looser than “collective impact” models but still serve as essential platforms for collaboration.   Why Networks Matter   There are several reasons why networks are essential in the social innovation field.   👉Sharing Resources and Information One of the greatest strengths of a network is the ability to share practical resources from government support programs and funding opportunities to talent and hands-on experience. Small ...