146 Sun Jung
Booming co-ops in Korea and the use of alternative media
According to the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), “a co-operative is
an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common
economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned
and democratically-controlled enterprise” (2013).^1 In response to growing
socio-political turmoil, economic stagnation and the social insecurity that future
generations face in terms of jobs, essential social services and even just meeting
their basic needs, the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) has identified
four key issues that cooperatives can address: environmental degradation and
resource depletion; an unstable financial sector and increasing income inequality;
a growing global governance gap; and a seemingly disenfranchised younger
generation (ICA 2013). Its basic philosophy resonates with the concerns of many
Koreans over recent years.
The key issues in the 2012 Korean presidential election centered around notions
of a “welfare nation” and a “sustainable society” along with a focus on developing
a “social economy.” Even before the election, there had been a series of citizen
campaigns both on- and offline reinforcing these socio-political themes, reflecting
the widespread public interest in contemporary Korea in community-based
grassroots-driven small enterprise, where people seek creativity, cooperativeness,
justice, sociality, and sustainability rather than commercial competition. The value
of the latter has become emblematic of the existing neoliberal capitalist climate,
predominantly led by large multinational corporations. Korean citizens have
strongly and urgently demanded a higher quality of life that is epitomized in the
notions of “sustainable living” and a “welfare nation.” However, President Park
Guen-Hye’s new state government was not able to meet these demands. Taking
office in early 2013, there were high expectations of President Park, and she met
with much resentment in September of the same year when she backtracked on
the big welfare pledges that helped bring her to power (Arirang 2013).^2 Former
Korean Minister of the Environment and podcaster Yoon Yeo-Joon stated, “in
this current neoliberal climate where capitalist (or market) power overpowered
state power, civil power is the only force that can help the state to win its inherent
role back to serve the people” (Yoon 2013). Various grassroots-driven socio-
cultural movements such as social enterprises, co-ops, and alternative media have
emerged to drive the demanded social changes that it is widely felt the political
system is incapable of implementing.
During 2011 and 2012, countless social media–driven current affairs podcasts
were launched as a result of government interference in the existing mainstream
media. The former Lee Myung-Bak government attempted to control the media
by parachuting in presidential cronies to run the country’s most prominent
media outlets and to implement increased censorship (The Economist 2012).
Consequently, Korea “declined from Free to Partly Free to reflect an increase
in official censorship, particularly of online content, as well as the government’s
attempt to influence media outlets’ news and information content” (Freedom
House 2011). This oppressive scenario drove the boom in alternative media,