The Regional Workshop for Leaders of Consumer Co-operatives in Asia-Pacific 2023 was held in South Korea and hosted by iCOOP Korea and the ICA-AP Consumer Committee from 16 to 20 October 2023. The workshop was attended by 18 delegates from 8 countries including Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam. It was the first in-person workshop since the pandemic. Under the theme "Sustainable Co-operative Development and Adaptation of the Cooperative Identities,” the participants visited the Goesan Natural Dream Park and facilities operated by iCOOP to learn the business model and activities of iCOOP Korea. They learned how cooperatives can meet new needs in today’s society while putting cooperative identity into practice.
At the opening ceremony, Mr. Akihiro Yamakoshi, Chairperson of the committee gave the opening remarks and Ms. Jeonghee Kim, Vice Chairperson of the committee and Chairperson of iCOOP welcomed the participants to the Park. Following the ceremony, Ms. Gwibok Oh, Managing Director of iCOOP explained about Goesan Natural Dream Park and iCOOP. There was also an exciting bowling competition at the sports center of the park where the participants of the workshop and the board members of iCOOP competed in small groups and received prizes.
The next day, they had a field trip to the Laver factory, fishcake factory, healing center, inspection center, and library operated by iCOOP. They learned how iCOOP produces its private brand products considering sustainability and how iCOOP tries to encourage people’s healthier lifestyles. After the field trip, the participants joined the iN Natural Dream 2023 International Symposium and presented to the members of iCOOP how coops in their countries tackle challenges such as climate crisis, ageing society, and economic low growth. Following the symposium, a discussion and conclusion session of the workshop was held. Participants discussed important requisites for sustainable cooperative development, examples of the adaptation of cooperative identity, and what they learned during the workshop.
On the fourth day, they visited the Suwon Community Center of iCOOP in Seoul. The center has an iCOOP café, a healing center, a grocery store, and a clinic. They enjoyed meditation stretches like Yoga in the healing center and shopping in the iCOOP store.
The workshop was a valuable opportunity for the participants to think about how they can put cooperative identity into practice while meeting the current needs and how to encourage sustainable cooperative movements in today’s society.
