On July 1, Gyeongbuk Province received the Excellence Award in the 2025 Social Enterprise Promotion Evaluation for outstanding local governments at the "Social Enterprise Commemoration Event" hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, held at the Seoul National University of Science and Technology Convention Center.
This Excellence Award follows Gyeongbuk Province's Grand Prize in 2022 and the Top Excellence Award in 2024 in the same field, earning the province recognition for achieving a "cycling hit" in the Social Enterprise Promotion Evaluation for local governments. The province's policies for fostering social enterprises were thus evaluated as exceptional.
Gyeongbuk Province received the Excellence Award in the Social Enterprise Promotion Evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor annually evaluates the performance of each local government's social enterprise promotion projects, selects outstanding local governments, uncovers a variety of best practices, and establishes a foundation for a regional social enterprise ecosystem led by local governments and supported by central ministries.
The evaluation covers five areas: job creation and market support, management of preliminary social enterprises, establishment of support systems and discovery of best practices, participation in the Social Value Index (SVI) and efforts to ensure transparency in social enterprises, and achievements in realizing the local era and providing social services.
Gyeongbuk Province received high marks for several initiatives: establishing a four-stage support system tailored to each growth phase, including its own Startup Growth Support Project, Social Enterprise Management Innovation Support Project, and SVI (Social Value Index) Excellent and Promising Enterprise Support Project, as well as the 10x10 Club Fostering Project; strengthening the intermediary support system through public-private cooperation with organizations such as Local and Social Biz, the Social Enterprise Promotion Agency, and the Center for Creative Economy and Innovation; attracting a rare KRW 100 million investment for a social enterprise by Gumi-based Elta Co., Ltd.; and Yeongdeok-based The Dongjjokbadaganeungil Co., Ltd. being selected as a global B-corp enterprise. B-corp enterprises are social enterprises certified by B-Lab, the most widely recognized certification body in the United States.
Additionally, the province was recognized for achieving record-high sales of KRW 557.2 billion, employing 4,412 full-time workers, attaining a 54% employment rate for vulnerable groups, and contributing KRW 19.3 billion in social contributions for regional coexistence.
Going forward, Gyeongbuk Province plans to continue supporting the development of social enterprises in the region by expanding social enterprise projects to revitalize the local economy, fostering transparent social enterprises through the discovery of best practices, and creating social services such as support for single mothers. Since 2023, the province has used KRW 87 million in donations collected so far to regularly provide childcare and daily necessities to more than 20 local organizations every month, thereby contributing to solving community issues through the realization of corporate social value.
Lee Jaehun, Director of Economic and Trade Affairs for Gyeongbuk Province, stated, "The consecutive awards for social enterprise promotion are the result of Gyeongbuk Province's consistent efforts to foster social enterprises," and added, "We will continue to work toward making Gyeongbuk Province the undisputed capital of good enterprises by nurturing an environment for self-reliance and social value management among social enterprises."
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