Currently, Gurye Natural Dream Park is in the pipeline for the Grand Opening scheduled for March, 2014. Since the groundbreaking ceremony on May 25, 2011, icoop KOREA has completed the constructions of icoop Ramen factory (May 2012), two-building dormitory (December 2013) and COOP Dough factory (January 2013), and integrated logistics center (September 2012) and 8 companies already started their full operations. Additionally, 7 new facilities (duck/chicken processing plant, cold storage warehouses, APC or Agricultural products Processing Center), dormitory, support facilities and milling factory) are under construction. Chicken processing plant Dormitory Duck processing plant Support facilities
Cold storage warehouses and APC Milling factory Antibiotic-free chicken and duck processing plant, and kimchi factory are expected to be completed soon. The construction of dormitory and support facilities started in June, while that of milling factory began in January and cold storage warehouses in April. In Gurye Natural Park, total 20 eco-friendly organic food processing factories and support facilities (experience center, restaurant, eco-friendly food store, café, fitness center, theater and dormitory) will go up on the site. The park is expected to have 450 employees and over 100,000 visitors annually. With the total USD 45 million project on 149,336 m2 site, it has been a dream of members, producers and employees of icoop KOREA. Finally, they expect to see the fruit of their hard work to achieve it soon.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and social enterprises and icoop Co-operative Development Center (icoop CDC) introduced Intensive Co-operative Education Program to help people who have interests in co-operatives building and operating them more systematically and effectively. At present, the Seoul Government runs total 11 intensive education programs consisting of 6 general educations and 11 promising sector education programs. As one of these programs, icoop CDC s intensive program provides high-quality education involving various lecturers like researchers, cooperative consultants and executives and a particular session for communication and information exchange. Most lectures focus on the useful contents about co-operatives from establishing to running; history and philosophy of co-operative, the co-operative principles and their meanings, establishment procedure, and accounting and financing.. Admitted students who applied to it (up to 15 people) will participate in the program on total 8 fields for a month from August 23. Visit for details: www.icoop-cdc.coop
icoop KOREA released 2 songs, we are yun-somom(mom who practices ethical consumption) and the world we live together, each contains co-operative values: ethical consumption and solidarity. With upbeat rhythms and easy-to-sing chorus, We are yun-so-mom is a song for members who call themselves moms practicing ethical consumption. The world we live together characterized by easy lyrics and relaxing rhythms is about the hopeful tomorrow we are building together. Coop songs have well reached to the consumers through online communities such as icoop KOREA s official blog (http://blog.naver.com/icoopkorea) Members of icoop Goyang co-op and icoop Bitgoel-citizen co-op created the dance routine based on the songs and made a music video and released it on the Youtube. icoop KOREA held Dancing yun-so-mom Online Contest for the promotion of songs and presented winners with Korean wheat made ramens and points for shopping through the prize lottery. Coop songs can be downloaded on icoop KOREA s website and other music download sites for free. (http://www.icoop.or.kr/coopmall/icoop/event/event_song.html) One member said, Coop songs were composed to encourage engaged consumers who have made an effort for food safety and sound consumption activities. As the lyrics contain consumers wish, we hope these songs will be loved by many more people. - In icoop KOREA, field education for employees and the youth to study the values and spirit of co-operative is in full swing. With theme of Let s make workplace combined with education and labor, quoted from José María Arizmendiarrieta, the Mondragon founding father s words, CS Liberty Academy are introduced to the employees. The Academy composed of 16
courses of humanities lectures, on-the-job training and field trips to producing cites. 35 employees of COOP SERVICE (the logistics company of icoop KOREA) have attended to the program held from July 2 to October 29. CS Liberty Academy aimed to form a studying community at the field of logistics, build up liberal and social mind prioritizing humans at all process at work, cultivate and encourage communication and debate to solve the issues of lives and works, and provide the opportunity for self-enrichment. The field trip was held at the producing site in Hongdong-myeon, Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam-province from August 8 to 9. Participants could learn eco-friendly agriculture through the cases of Pulmu agriculture co-op that signed the production-consumption agreement with icoop KOREA in April, and visited various community-based institutions in the region. From August 12 to 15, icoop Youth Camp was held with 60 teenagers participation from all over the country. The camp named as Yeol-gong which means absolutely fair was organized by icoop Consumer Activities as the first youth program to promote co-operative and fair trade through various direct activities.