[Life Act 3 Companies] "Senior Interns as Problem Solvers... The Movie 'Intern' Happened in Reality"

Park Kyung-im, Chairperson of Encore Bravo No Social Cooperative

"Retiring baby boomer generation flooding the workforce is said to be a social problem, but I wanted to prove that it is not a problem but a resource."

Could the aging society, often seen as a 'crisis,' actually be an 'opportunity'? The social cooperative Encore Bravo No started from this question. Like the movie Intern starring Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro. In Intern, the CEO of an online clothing company (played by Anne Hathaway) hires a 70-year-old senior intern (played by Robert De Niro) through a corporate social responsibility program. The CEO, initially doubtful of the senior intern's capabilities, eventually gains trust after witnessing his life skills and know-how.

Encore Bravo No is a company that nurtures middle-aged and older talents as they face retirement and connects these talents to organizations that need them. It is a nonprofit organization, established in 2015, and this year marks its 9th anniversary.

On the 1st, Asia Economy interviewed Park Kyung-im, Chairperson of Encore Bravo No Social Cooperative (61). After graduating from Ewha Womans University’s Department of Secretarial Studies (now International Office Administration), Park worked as a buyer at foreign companies from 1984. She quit her job in 2002 when the company withdrew its branch from Korea. Although she was a typical career-interrupted woman, 13 years later she joined the founding of Encore Bravo No and re-entered society.

Park Kyung-im, Chairperson of Angkor Bravo Social Cooperative, is showing a booklet on senior and corporate linkage activities at the office in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

- I’m curious why you took a break from work for over 10 years.

▲ Although I was forced to retire when the Korean branch closed, at the time I thought, "This is the first chance in my life to take a break." I was exhausted from frequent business trips and always felt sorry to my children as a working mother. About a month after quitting, I learned that my mother was diagnosed with cancer. I stayed by her side during her two-year battle. After she passed away, I struggled to adjust not only to the loss but also to having no work to do.

Moreover, even the headhunters who used to contact me stopped reaching out. When I was with my mother and unable to work, I would connect job offers to younger colleagues, but once I had time, no offers came. I think too much time had passed. However, I had never lived solely as a housewife. So, I took on roles like class reunion president and volunteered, finding ways to stay active externally.

- What made you interested in the careers of people after retirement?

▲ By chance, while talking with another retiree, I learned about a certification for career transition consultants and related training programs. It was about supporting career transitions for experienced workers like us, known as outplacement services?a series of programs provided to help retirees or soon-to-be retirees find new employment. In early 2015, the government was running a new job discovery project that included training for this certification. I was suggested to apply and study, so I submitted my application on the last day.

Since it was a government-funded program, I went through interviews and other selection processes. After more than thirty years, going through document submission and interviews was physically tiring but refreshing. Classes were held five hours every weekday, and it was my first time going out regularly in a while. Learning something new was enjoyable in itself.

- How did you come to join the founding of Encore Bravo No?

▲ Even while I was resting, acquaintances often invited me to start a business together. But I always declined, fearing complications from mixing business with close relationships. Then, during the career transition consultant training, I received an offer to join the startup. The person who proposed it said, "Don’t you think it’s a social waste for capable retirees to do nothing?" I deeply agreed. Especially among retiring baby boomer seniors, many are highly educated and experienced. I liked the idea of finding a business model that utilizes their education and career, so I decided to join.

I never expected to make a lot of money from the start. I thought it was a sustainable way to contribute to society. Six people who met through different training programs studied together for nearly a year preparing for the startup, and we held the inaugural general meeting in August 2015 to officially open. We originally started as a cooperative but later converted to a social cooperative to become a nonprofit. Currently, there are 10 members, four of whom are employees. We were designated a preliminary social enterprise in 2016 and certified as a social enterprise in 2019.

- I’m curious about your sales. Even if you don’t earn much, you must pay employee salaries. What is your main source of income?

▲ We create contribution-type and livelihood-type jobs for baby boomers by collaborating with companies, local governments, and government organizations. Programs like the 'Senior Internship Program' are examples. Last year, we ran a project providing opportunities for retired or soon-to-retire middle-aged people living in Seoul to work in rural areas of Jeonbuk with activity allowances. We also run corporate growth support mentoring programs. Through various projects, we made 150 million KRW in sales last year. We hope to increase that to 200 million KRW this year.

- It’s the 9th year since founding. Do you feel a difference in society’s perception of middle-aged people then and now?

▲ It has changed a lot. Back in 2015 when we were preparing to start, most seniors thought, "Once you retire, social life is over." But now, many retirees actively seek meaningful work they can do in society. Senior education programs for a second act in life are being held in many places.

- Any memorable experiences while connecting senior interns?

▲ A few years ago, we matched a senior intern with a financial startup. The staff were mostly in their 20s and 30s. The startup CEO said, "I’ve never worked with seniors or even talked to them," sounding skeptical. About a month later, I visited the startup for monitoring. When I arrived, the CEO’s attitude had completely changed. The Financial Supervisory Service suddenly conducted an inspection, and while the CEO and staff were panicking, the senior intern took charge and quickly prepared the materials to submit to the inspectors. Because of that case, the CEO said he truly realized why seniors are needed in organizations. Also, when he felt lonely and troubled as a CEO, the senior intern acted as a counselor, which was very helpful. Hearing stories like this is the most rewarding.

- What are Encore Bravo No’s future goals or plans?

▲ We want to expand job opportunities for retired seniors beyond the metropolitan area. Currently, these jobs are concentrated in the capital region. We want to increase projects like the rural activities in Jeonbuk I mentioned earlier. Middle-aged people could play a significant role in preventing regional extinction. Also, while we currently create jobs by collaborating with companies, local governments, and government organizations, in the future, we want groups like ours?formed by middle-aged people?to collaborate and scale up a 'senior community' to explore new work opportunities. We also want to expand research on middle-aged employment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.