Daegu City Provides Up to 100 Million Won Support to 3 Outstanding Village Enterprises... 'Dangsinjaedan Sil, Haengbokrim, Jeongin Welfare Association'

Dangsin Foundation Room (CEO Kim Seung-yu), a village enterprise in Daegu City, Social Cooperative Happiness Forest (CEO Kang Moon-joo), and Jeongin Disabled Welfare Association (CEO Lee Sun-yong) have been selected as the ‘2023 Excellent and Moduae (愛) Village Enterprises’ recently reviewed by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, receiving up to 100 million KRW in support per enterprise.

The ‘Excellent Village Enterprises’ and ‘Moduae (愛) Village Enterprises’ are selected annually by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety from village enterprises that create jobs and solve local problems by utilizing regional resources, and they receive additional project funding.

The graduation ceremony of Happy University, operated by the social cooperative Happy Lim, which was selected as an excellent village enterprise.

The ‘Excellent Village Enterprises’ aim to discover village enterprises that realize communal values through revitalizing village communities and contributing to local society, and to spread exemplary cases. This year, Dangsin Foundation Room in Seo-gu and Social Cooperative Happiness Forest in Dalseo-gu were selected as Excellent Village Enterprises, receiving up to 70 million KRW in project funding.

Dangsin Foundation Room received high evaluation for revitalizing the declining sewing industry in Seomun Market, which suffered from low labor costs and aging, by developing new marketing strategies and a glamping tent business item, thereby increasing sales and creating youth jobs. The fresh perspectives and challenges of young people have breathed new life into the stagnant local industry.

Social Cooperative Happiness Forest was highly evaluated for addressing the issue of severe disabled individuals staying at home after graduating from high school due to lack of protective facilities, by establishing a village alternative school called Happiness University to provide job experience, and linking it with daytime care and welfare job projects for continuous protection after graduation.

The ‘Moduae (愛) Village Enterprises’ are aimed at fostering ‘flagship village enterprises’ with high sales and brand value that have the potential to expand nationwide. Jeongin Disabled Welfare Association, a village enterprise in Dalseong-gun, was selected.

Jeongin Disabled Welfare Association has employed 20 mentally disabled individuals over the past three years through various welfare projects such as operating Happy Bakery and cafes for social and vocational rehabilitation of mentally disabled persons. It recorded an average annual sales of 654 million KRW over the past three years. Its activities, including the development of ‘Biseul Chamkkot Bread’ based on Dalseong-gun’s tourism resources and ‘Jangsu Kkakka’ using the character of Mr. Songhae, as well as pioneering online and offline sales, received high praise, earning up to 100 million KRW in support.

Biseul Cham Flower Bread directly produced by Jeongin Disabled Welfare Association, which helped the rehabilitation of people with mental disabilities.

An Jung-gon, Director of the Economic Bureau of Daegu City, stated, “These great achievements were possible thanks to the dedication of village enterprises for the local community,” and added, “Daegu City will spare no support to foster the growth of village enterprises and enhance corporate value so that such success stories can spread.”