Kim Dongyeon, Governor of Gyeonggi-do, declared, "Gyeonggi-do will become the base camp for the social economy under the new Lee Jaemyung administration."
On September 12, at the opening of the "2025 Gyeonggi-do Social Economy Expo" held at the Suwon Convention Center, Governor Kim stated, "Over the past three years, Gyeonggi-do has boldly stood up against a government that thoroughly disregarded the value of the social economy." He went on to explain Gyeonggi-do's policies to promote the social economy, including the establishment of a dedicated Social Economy Bureau, the creation of the Gyeonggi-do Social Economy Center, and the expansion of financial support for social economy initiatives.
He added, "Many people referred to Gyeonggi-do as the exile government or the place of exile for the social economy during the previous administration," and expressed his ambition by saying, "With the new administration, we intend to become the base camp that will further scale up the social economy."
He continued, "With the newly launched government of national sovereignty selecting the promotion of social solidarity economy growth as a key national agenda, we are now taking bold steps toward advancing the social economy." He promised, "Gyeonggi-do will continue to lead the way in creating a better world through the social economy, building a society where people truly live, an economy centered on people, and a 'humanomics' society."
The 2025 Gyeonggi-do Social Economy Expo opened on the 12th at the Suwon Convention Center. Attendees, including Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dongyeon, are taking a commemorative photo. Provided by Gyeonggi Province
On this day, Governor Kim notably described the social economy as "Godseongbi" (a Korean term meaning products or services with outstanding cost-effectiveness), stating, "Under the name of the social economy, we have fostered the values of inclusion, sustainability, solidarity, and democracy." He defined the social economy as "not just the accumulation and increase of wealth, but the creation of quality jobs and the opening of a sustainable future that reduces inequality."
The expo, which runs until the 13th, features conferences, exhibition and sales booths, hands-on programs, and investment consultation sessions. The conference will address four key themes based on the core value of the eighth popularly elected administration, 'Human-Centered Humanomics': ▲Peace (the role of the social economy in building a sustainable society), ▲Climate (responding to the climate crisis with AI), ▲Care (changing demographics and a caring society), and ▲Opportunity (inclusive cities that add opportunities to everyday life).
The opening ceremony was attended by over 1,000 participants, including Governor Kim Dongyeon, Maher Nassar, Assistant Secretary-General of the UN Department of Global Communications, Srinivas Tata, Director of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, members of the National Assembly and Gyeonggi-do Provincial Council, representatives from social economy organizations, and local residents.
Meanwhile, on the same day, Gyeonggi-do recognized outstanding contributors to the promotion of the social economy. In the private sector, awards were given to Naruko Co., Ltd., Pyeongtaek Cooperative Social Network Social Cooperative, Elite Farmer Agricultural Corporation Co., Ltd., and Living and Environment Co., Ltd. In the municipal and county sector, Gwangmyeong City and Yangju City were selected as distinguished institutions.
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