Gwangmyeong City is accelerating the establishment of a social solidarity economy ecosystem that connects citizen learning, participation, and cooperation to local economic growth.
Hong Myung-hee, head of the Economic and Cultural Bureau, presented the city’s policy achievements over the past eight years and future directions during a GM policy briefing held on November 3 at the city hall.
The key point emphasized by Hong is to empower citizens as active participants in the social solidarity economy rather than mere beneficiaries, linking their capabilities to new economic activities in the region.
Gwangmyeong has developed a citizen-centered model where residents learn together, identify necessary local tasks, and advance these into the establishment and operation of cooperatives and social solidarity economy enterprises.
As a result of these efforts, the number of social solidarity economy enterprises has increased by 184% from 76 in 2018 to 216 as of October this year.
This year, 35 new businesses were established, and 6,294 citizens experienced the social solidarity economy through 119 educational sessions and campaigns.
As of 2025, the total revenue reported by 50 companies was approximately 31.9 billion won, with a total employment of 315, of which 52.8% were from vulnerable groups.
There are also examples of citizen learning translating into actual economic activities.
Citizens who completed a training course for citizen gardeners established a cooperative that provides garden management and horticultural education, while others who learned about environmental sustainability and social solidarity economy created cooperatives to offer necessary services in their communities.
Building on these achievements, the city plans to focus its policy efforts on discovering, nurturing, and expanding the growth base of social solidarity economy enterprises during the current administration.
Initially, the city will implement the 'Gwangmyeong Customized Social Solidarity Economy Enterprise Nurturing New 100 Project' to discover 100 new businesses over four years, aiming to nurture a total of 300 enterprises by 2030.
The city will also support the discovery of business models that meet local demands and assist companies in enhancing their operations and entering the market.
In particular, seven companies in the care sector have commercialized services needed in the community, such as emotional care, cognitive health, and integrated care manager training, while also fostering cooperation among businesses and entering the public service market.
The social solidarity economy innovation center, 'MAJU,' will serve as a key hub for the growth of citizens and businesses. It will provide opportunities for companies to test and expand their products and services while offering citizens educational, experiential, and cultural programs to engage with the social solidarity economy in their daily lives.
Hong stated, “The social solidarity economy starts not from creating businesses but from citizens learning together and finding necessary tasks in the community to implement.” He added, “The small activities of citizens lead to the growth of cooperatives and businesses, creating a virtuous cycle where the results return to the community, which is the model of social solidarity economy we pursue.”
He concluded, “We will continue to collaborate with citizens, administration, and businesses to solve local issues and create a sustainable economic ecosystem where citizens' capabilities become community assets.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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