Inside South Korea’s Social Impact

  A while ago, I met a designer around my age. He had worked in the corporate sector before transitioning into the social impact field. Right before leaving his corporate job, he experienced severe burnout and ended up walking away from everything. Listening to his story brought back memories of my own past.   I have worked in the media industry for over fifteen years. Moving from my hometown to Seoul to pursue my career meant that even when times were tough, I rarely had people nearby to open up to. With work taking up most of my energy, a glass of beer after work was my only form of rest — though I no longer drink alcohol today.   Working under such relentless pressure, I faced burnout multiple times. There were mornings when simply waking up, washing my face, and changing clothes felt overwhelmingly difficult, let alone commuting. Yet, I pushed myself to go to work every single day. On some days, I found myself crying uncontrollably the moment I stepped out of ...

  Throughout my career interviewing numerous social innovators across various fields, one realization has stood out: for changemakers to act boldly and push boundaries, they need tailored, reliable support. Investing in an individual practitioner does not merely grow that single person; in the long run, it strengthens the entire ecosystem.   Behind the rapid growth and maturity of South Korea's social impact ecosystem lies a robust system of fellowship programs. In the social impact sector, a fellowship provides financial and non-financial support to selected social innovators, ensuring they can stabilize their operations and access opportunities for continuous growth. Through education, networking, mentorship, and space for experimentation, these programs nurture changemakers so they can thrive.   Today, I would like to introduce two representative fellowship programs that exemplify South Korea's social impact sector.   Beautiful Fellow🌸   Oper...

  It is hot. It is simply too hot. Every day feels like living inside a scorching furnace.   Anyone who has visited South Korea during the summer knows just how intense it gets. The sun is blazing, driving temperatures sky-high, while the high humidity naturally restricts daily activities. To make matters worse, the unavoidable summer rainy season known as Jangma pushes the discomfort index to its peak.   Whenever I hear the term 'climate crisis,' the first thing that comes to my mind is 'a scorching summer.' Relentlessly hot weather and overwhelming downpours. Even today, I am directly experiencing this intense heat driven by the climate crisis.   🌝Climate Crisis Does Not Impact Everyone Equally   Yet, many people still view the 'climate crisis' as a distant concern — an abstract problem centered around carbon emissions or melting glaciers. However, climate disasters such as heatwaves, severe cold snaps, and urban flooding do not impact everyon...

Jung-woong Park, Team Lead at Impact Alliance, builds networks through various engagement activities. (Photo courtesy of Jung-woong Park)   For the social impact ecosystem to expand and thrive, healthy networks are essential. Within a network, people spend time collaborating, engaging in intense debates, and uniting to solve shared social problems. However, because a network is built between human beings, it cannot be forced or manufactured overnight. It is only possible when people willingly offer their time and hearts.   In the previous article, we published the first interview with Jung-woong Park, Team Lead at Impact Alliance and a community specialist in Korea's social impact ecosystem. He introduced Impact Alliance — an association of impact-driven organizations — and shared his unique know-how for building a healthy community.   👉👉Read Related Article [Interview] Impact Ecosystem Multi-Directional Interpreter (Part 1): The Connector of the Social Impact...