Jeonbuk Province, Social Economy Integrated Support Center Evaluation 'Excellent Institution'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Jeonbuk Province announced on the 13th that it was selected as an excellent institution in the ‘2020 Social Enterprise and Cooperative Integrated Support Project Contest Evaluation’ hosted by the Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency, together with the Jeonbuk Social Economy Solidarity Council.

Among the evaluation results of 11 regional zones nationwide, although the qualification as an integrated support institution must be recognized annually, three cities/provinces including Jeonbuk, Gyeongbuk, and Ulsan, which were selected as excellent institutions, were recognized as support institutions for three consecutive years.

The Jeonbuk Social Economy Solidarity Council (Chairman Song Byeong-ju), since its establishment as a corporation in July 2018, was designated as the Jeonbuk Social Enterprise and Cooperative Integrated Support Center in 2019 by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, serving as a bridge between administration and enterprises, and has been promoting various projects for the establishment and fostering of social enterprises and cooperatives in the province.

Jeonbuk Province and the intermediary support organization actively discovered and fostered companies with growth potential in 2019, newly admitting a total of 80 preliminary and certified social enterprises, including 36 preliminary social enterprises designated by the province, 23 ministry-type preliminary social enterprises designated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and 21 social enterprises certified by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

In addition, they conducted social value indicator measurements for the evaluation of social enterprise financial support projects (130 locations), performance analysis surveys of preliminary social enterprises (40 locations), and supported sustainable growth and management stabilization of enterprises through customized consulting (120 cases) by pro bono experts (53 people) in personnel/labor, tax/accounting, and financial difficulties of social enterprises.

Furthermore, they newly fostered 27 social cooperatives and provided establishment and management consulting and 85 training sessions for 43 cooperatives.

Along with this, to pioneer sales channels for social economy enterprise products, they newly entered the Post Office Shopping Mall and achieved sales of 1.3 billion KRW, and conducted promotional activities at more than 80 institutions including public organizations to expand public procurement.

This year, the province plans to actively promote step-by-step growth support policies together with intermediary support organizations to strengthen the self-sustainability of social economy enterprises.

In the early stages of fostering social enterprises, they will strengthen self-sustainability through financial support projects (957.9 billion KRW) such as wage support for participating workers and business development expenses, and in the growth stage, support infrastructure (400 million KRW) such as equipment and facilities and product design development (250 million KRW, new) to improve product productivity and competitiveness.

Additionally, they will strengthen customized growth support through social enterprise regional specialization projects reflecting regional characteristics, and promote expansion of online sales channels such as establishing a public procurement support group and entering home shopping.

Na Seok-hoon, Head of the Job Economy Headquarters, said, “Following the designation of the Jeonbuk Economic and Trade Promotion Agency as a three-year executing institution for the social entrepreneur fostering project, the designation of the Jeonbuk Social Enterprise and Cooperative Integrated Support Center as a three-year executing institution is recognition that our province is truly the number one place for social economy. We will continue to support the establishment of intermediary support organizations in cities and counties (5 cities/counties, contest) and accelerate the revitalization of Jeonbuk’s social economy through solidarity and cooperation with the provincial intermediary support organization.”

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