150 Sun Jung
emphasizes the significance of decreasing “food mileage” by consuming local
food.^10 According to Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, through
the existing distribution channel with major super market chains, consumers pay
five times more for a radish compared to its primary cost (cited in Han 2013).
Hansalim has a 76 per cent return of its profit price back to the producer (Hansalim
2011). As a social economy system, most profits are returned to the producers
themselves (bar expenses linked to organizational operation costs), which is a
strikingly different scenario from that of the large supermarket chains who take
anywhere from 50 per cent 70 peer cent of the producers’ profits (Hansalim
2011). A decrease in food mileage impacts direct trading between producers and
consumers, meaning consumers pay a more just price for products.
It is now common for urban middle-class Koreans to consume seasonal food
products from overseas producers through the established international distribution
networks associated with hypermarkets and “super super markets.”^11 According to
Statistics Korea, the total revenue of hypermarkets reached $33.7 billion in 2013, a
figure that has tripled over the past 10 years (Statistics Korea 2013a). These jaebeol-
owned market chains aggressively target local consumers who once used privately
owned small marts or traditional neighborhood markets. A variety of products from
across the world and competitive prices attracted consumers, eventually driving
small markets out of businesses. Such vicious business practices soon demolished
the fiscal ecosystem of the local food distribution industry when small local shop
owners lost their means of support, while consumers paid overblown distribution
costs to conglomerates. As a consequence, producers earn less profit. In this
situation, the public awareness of the need to rebuild the economic ecosystem
and consumer demand for sustainable living triggered the current boom in living
co-ops. Hansalim emphasizes how consuming local food by known producers
through direct trading rejuvenates the local food industry and eventually enhances
social sustainability, allowing both minor suppliers (for example, farmers and
small neighborhood shop owners) to all survive.
In addition to the issues around food safety and local food consumption, the
revitalization of communities―ma-eul―is another top priority for many living
co-ops including Dure and Hansalim. These co-ops attempt to rebuild cooperative
ma-eul sentiments and traditional ma-eul cultures. Joo Kang-Hyeon argues that
human society has a strong yearning for community (2006, p. 7), explaining in
part the active attempts of many urban middle-class citizens in Korea to move to
rural areas (a process known as the guinong/guichon or “moving back to farming/
village” phenomenon). The number of urban dwellers moving to rural areas has
steadily increased in recent years―a phenomenon attributed mainly to a desire to
be away from urban life and to pursue eco-friendly lifestyles with an emphasis on
wellbeing. According to Statistics Korea, the number of people leaving cities for
farms has constantly increased over the recent few years (17,464 in 2011; 19,657 in
2012; 18,825 in 2013; Statistics Korea 2013b). Almost half of the urban households
that moved to farming in 2013 were from Seoul and its vicinities. This movement
benefits the economy by creating jobs in agriculture, galvanizing rural communities,
and distributing resources more efficiently on the national level (Asia News