Daegu Social Economy Enterprises See 4.9% Sales Growth in One Year... Number of Companies Increases by 50

On December 18 at 2:30 p.m., the Daegu Metropolitan Government and the Daegu Social Economy Support Center held the "2025 Daegu Social Economy Future Forum and Performance Sharing Event" at the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Design Center Convention Hall, with the participation of over 120 local social economy entrepreneurs and related organization representatives.

Under the theme "We Never Stopped, We Shine Through Solidarity," the event provided a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the achievements made throughout the year by social economy enterprises, related institutions, and organizations, and to discuss strategies for fostering a sustainable social economy ecosystem.

Daegu Social Economy Future Forum and Performance Sharing Event Poster

The event featured a variety of programs, beginning with the "Forum on the Role and Challenges of Regions for Social Solidarity Economy Transition," followed by awards for contributors to the revitalization of the social economy, recognition of outstanding social economy enterprises and school cooperatives, the "Thank You Awards" for exemplary cases among social economy workers, and networking sessions among participants.

As of November 2025, the number of social economy enterprises in Daegu stood at 1,370 (160 social enterprises, 1,114 cooperatives, and 96 village enterprises), marking a 3.8% increase compared to 1,320 in 2024. Total sales rose by 4.9%, from 336 billion won in 2023 to 353.4 billion won in 2024. Compared to 462 enterprises in 2014, this represents a 196% increase, demonstrating the continuous growth of the social economy sector.

Notably, "Muhan Sangsa Social Cooperative," established with support from the Daegu Metropolitan Government, specializes in pioneering new markets and supporting sales channels-addressing the major challenges faced by social economy enterprises, such as sales, promotion, and marketing. Since its founding in 2017, it has shown steady growth, achieving annual sales of 10 billion won last year. The number of participating companies expanded from five at its inception to eighty, and based on these achievements, it was selected as an exemplary case by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in 2021.

The Daegu social economy sector has continuously played a vital role in realizing social values such as alleviating polarization and creating jobs for vulnerable groups. In particular, this year, collaboration with various public institutions made significant contributions to spreading social value and generating employment.

In cooperation with Korea Airports Corporation Daegu Airport, a pop-up store was operated inside the airport to expand sales channels for social enterprises. In partnership with Korea Asset Management Corporation (KAMCO), job training and work experience programs were provided for vulnerable groups, leading regional job creation and the realization of social value.

Additionally, in April, donations and relief supplies were delivered to residents affected by wildfires in North Gyeongsang Province, demonstrating social responsibility in action. Other initiatives included discovering new social service providers for people with disabilities, conducting training and pilot projects to improve the quality of social services, and implementing ESG-based environmental and carbon neutrality projects. Through these diverse activities, the capacity of the social economy sector was strengthened and a foundation for sustainable development was established.

Park Kihwan, Director of Economic Affairs at Daegu Metropolitan Government, stated, "The continued growth this year, despite challenging economic conditions, is thanks to the dedicated efforts of social economy enterprises and stakeholders. We will continue to strengthen solidarity among social economy enterprises so they can respond proactively to social changes and will spare no effort in supporting the creation of a sustainable future."