President Moon: "Social Economy Has Grown, But Still Lags Behind Europe"

33rd World Cooperative Congress Opening Ceremony Pre-Meeting... "Hoping for Increased Public Interest in Communal Values"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] President Moon Jae-in stated on the 1st, during a preliminary meeting held before the opening ceremony of the '33rd World Cooperative Congress,' that "Recently, our government has shown great interest in and support for social economy entities such as cooperatives. Although the social economy has grown significantly, there are still many shortcomings compared to leading countries, including those in Europe."

President Moon said, "I consider it meaningful that the World Cooperative Congress is being held in Korea for the first time," adding, "I hope that this occasion will raise public interest in the communal and social values inherent in cooperatives and the social economy."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The preliminary meeting was attended by Ariel Guarco, President of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA); Yang Wenyang, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Lee Seong-hee, President of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation; Lim Joon-taek, President of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives; Kim Jeong-hee, President of iCOOP Cooperative; Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance; Yoon Ho-jung, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea; and Lee Ho-seung, Director of the Presidential Office Policy Office.

Park Kyung-mi, spokesperson for the Blue House, conveyed that "Lee Seong-hee, President of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, said that there are 3 million cooperatives worldwide, and Korea's agricultural cooperative ranks within the top 10. He expressed great pride in the achievements of Korea's cooperatives over their 60-year history and was especially pleased that the World Cooperative Congress is being held in a non-European country for the first time in over 30 years since it was held in Japan in 1992."

Meanwhile, Ariel Guarco, ICA President, stated, "World cooperatives span five continents and lead 1.2 billion cooperative members worldwide," adding, "We will use this congress as an opportunity to organize and strengthen the identity of cooperatives and strive to better respond to the upcoming environment."