MG Saemaul Geumgo Ignites Youth Local Initiatives

Public-Private Partnership Project Completed
5 Billion Won Invested in 10 Companies

The National Credit Union Federation of Korea (Chairman Kim In) has joined forces with young entrepreneurs to address the crisis of regional depopulation.

This public-private partnership support project, which simultaneously targets youth settlement and the creation of local jobs, is producing results and is being credited with further expanding the role of regional financial cooperatives.

The certificate awarding ceremony for the selected companies of the "MG Hope Sharing Youth Local Support Project" was held, and officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the National Credit Union Federation of Korea, and representatives of the selected companies took a commemorative photo.

On January 15, the National Credit Union Federation of Korea announced the successful completion of the "2025 MG Hope Sharing Youth Local Support Project," which was jointly promoted with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Work Together Foundation.

This project is a government initiative aimed at solving structural problems in local communities, such as the risk of regional extinction and youth outmigration. Its significance lies in positioning young entrepreneurs as key agents in resolving local issues and establishing a "public-private partnership local growth model" involving finance, administration, and the private sector.

The project was launched following a call for applications and a review process in March of last year. Out of youth villages and youth village enterprises nationwide designated and supported by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, ten youth local companies were selected as beneficiaries, receiving a total of 500 million won in support.

The ten organizations ultimately selected addressed key challenges facing their regions-such as commercial district stagnation, weakening communities, and lack of cultural and lifestyle services-through local business ideas, and have grown into leading local actors. The National Credit Union Federation of Korea noted that the project also produced tangible results, including the creation of new full-time jobs in the regions.

Since 2018, the National Credit Union Federation of Korea has been discovering and supporting social economy organizations and has carried out employment and entrepreneurship support projects each year to create youth jobs. This project is seen as an extension of these efforts, focusing on realizing social value and laying the foundation for regional growth as a community-based financial cooperative.

Chairman Kim In of the National Credit Union Federation of Korea stated, "We will continue to focus on various issues facing local communities and strive to help Saemaul Geumgo become a source of new vitality where youth and regions can thrive together."