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[Interview] Inside Mondragon University’s LEINN Seoul Lab: What Sets It Apart? (Part 2)

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Leinners in action at LEINN Seoul Lab (Photo courtesy of Mondragon University LEINN Seoul Lab)   South Korea has a uniquely demanding educational environment. Because university entrance exams carry immense weight, an intensely competitive academic culture has developed. Students routinely stay at school late into the night, often heading directly to private cram schools (*hagwons*) or study cafes afterward. Growing up in Korea, I followed this exact path — participating in late-night self-study (*yaja*) at school and attending private academies until midnight. Even in college, I spent most of my days in the library maintaining competitive grades. While this felt routine to me, compared to international contexts, Korea's distinct educational realities are undeniable.   Mondragon University’s LEINN operates on a completely different paradigm. As explored in Part 1, lecture halls are replaced by active business environments, and professors are replaced by team coaches. It fu...
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[Interview] A University Inside Real Business: Mondragon University’s LEINN Seoul Lab (Part 1)

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  When we picture university life, we usually envision lecture halls packed with students listening to a professor's presentation. But what if a university had neither lecture halls nor professors? Last month, I visited a unique educational institution where both were absent. Instead of classrooms, students worked in active business environments; instead of professors, team coaches guided them. This is the story of Mondragon University’s LEINN Seoul Lab.   How is LEINN Seoul Lab operated, and how do students approach their learning? I sat down with Yena Lee, a team coach at Mondragon University’s LEINN Seoul Lab, to explore the journey in depth. By chance, I also had the opportunity to briefly meet students who were actively working on projects even during their vacation. Over the coming series, I will share the compelling story of Mondragon University’s LEINN. (Note: Throughout this article, Mondragon University’s LEINN program is referred to simply as ‘LEINN.’)   ...
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10 Key Trends in South Korean Volunteering for 2026 (Part 2)

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  The landscape of volunteering is undergoing a profound transformation. While large-scale group activities once represented the norm, contemporary volunteering is evolving toward specialized, skills-based contributions driven by integrated people-and-systems approaches. Today, volunteerism is increasingly recognized as a vital mechanism for shaping the future of our society.   Volunteering culture, an accredited non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating and expanding civic volunteerism in South Korea, recently published its annual trend report, <Volunteer 2026>. Following the first five trends examined in our previous post, this article explores the remaining five trends shaping the ecosystem.   👉👉Read Part 1 First 10 Key Trends in South Korean Volunteering for 2026 (Part 1)   ⑥  Hyper-Local Impact🌞   Community-rooted volunteering delivers initiatives tailored directly to residents' daily living environments. The most pressing n...
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10 Key Trends in South Korean Volunteering for 2026 (Part 1)

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  In recent years, South Korea has seen sustained interest across government and society in ESG and CSR initiatives. Earlier this year, the government established the 'Social Contribution Innovation Advisory Group.' Created to support corporate social contribution effectively, this body positions the government as a key facilitator working alongside the private sector. Through this initiative, the government aims to help corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs deliver tangible outcomes that citizens can genuinely feel.   In tandem with these policy efforts, corporations are actively pursuing volunteer programs as a cornerstone of their CSR strategies. What distinguishes current corporate volunteering from the past is its evolution into a catalyst for driving real, substantive change across our society.   Furthermore, 2026 marks the United Nations' International Year of Volunteers. This global declaration underscores the imperative to listen to community voi...
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