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...

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...