Haenam-gun Designated Haetsal Agricultural Cooperative as a Ministry of the Interior and Safety-Type Village Enterprise

Woorideul Storage Agricultural Cooperative, Jeonnam-style Preliminary Village Enterprise, Youth Enterprise Growth Draws Attention

Haenam-gun Office Building Exterior (Photo by Haenam-gun)

[Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Haenam Haetsal Agricultural Cooperative Corporation (CEO Kim Sang-seok) and Woorideul Gotgan Agricultural Cooperative Corporation (CEO Choi Kyung-min), located in Hwangsan-myeon, Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, have been designated as a Ministry of the Interior and Safety-type village enterprise and a Jeonnam-type preliminary village enterprise, respectively.

According to the county on the 7th, Haenam Haetsal started as a Jeonnam-type preliminary village enterprise in 2019, was designated as a new Ministry of the Interior and Safety-type village enterprise last year, and achieved designation as a second-year village enterprise this year. Woorideul Gotgan established its corporation last year and was designated as a Jeonnam-type preliminary village enterprise for the first time this year.

Notably, both are youth-type village enterprises, established mainly by local young people born and raised in Hwangsan-myeon, attracting attention.

Kim Sang-seok, CEO of Haenam Haetsal Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, explained, “It was heartbreaking even to young eyes to see locally grown agricultural products sold without receiving proper prices due to lack of appropriate sales channels in the region. At first, we purchased and sold local agricultural products such as those from village elders at fair prices, but we decided that becoming an organization rather than individuals would be advantageous for customer management and promotion, so we formed a corporation with the young people who shared these concerns.”

Haenam Haetsal does not hesitate to visit all restaurants in the Mokpo area to pioneer sales channels for local agricultural products. Starting with the sale of salted napa cabbage and kimchi seasoning, they have expanded their scope this year by making jam using fallen fruit with reduced marketability.

Woorideul Gotgan has mainly purchased and sold barley and wheat, and is now attempting a strategy of processing these into small packages for sale.

Both village enterprises conduct weekly environmental cleanup volunteer activities at bus stops and public places, and create small jobs by involving elders in agricultural product sorting work.

Choi Kyung-min, CEO of Woorideul Gotgan Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, stated, “The number of residents willing to participate in the village enterprise is increasing, and we are harmonizing corporate performance and public interest through communication. We are determined to strive for the development of the community with the goal of steadily growing the village enterprise.”

Haenam=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun kh0424@asiae.co.kr