We welcome to the website of MEERAE Forum.

The Meerae Forum is a private civil society forum founded in December 2004. Leaders from various fields, concerned with the future of our next generations, launched the Forum to discuss, study, and generate innovative solutions to build a “healthier society” for the future.

Korea is a country of great potential that has surprised the world with its rapid industrialization, democratization, and globalization over the past half century. Nevertheless, no one today can be sure whether Korea’s future will be as promising as its past. Korea is still the only divided nation in the world. Rapid population ageing with extremely low fertility rates is impeding growth potential. And social polarization has been intensified. Many think that our society is not fair. The suicide rate of the elderly is the highest in the world, for 12 years straight. Young people too are frustrated with reality. They call themselves Sam-Po or O-Po generation(generation that has given up three or five hopes: love, marriage, child-rearing, plus house and job).

It is thus imperative for us to address these issues and create a brighter future for our next generation. To do so, we need new forces, perspectives, values, and norms that can help us remedy the failures of the market as well as the government. These are what the Meerae Forum is for and about. Since its foundation, the Forum has uncovered key social issues and generated innovative solutions to these issues through research and discussion.

In its early days, corporate members initiated the “Manbun Club” campaign, designed to support caring communities, fund raising through contributing one ten thousandths of their sales (or pre-tax profits). The Meerae Forum developed the “Innovative Company Model” to help companies earn consumers’ trust. The Forum also promoted the “Family-Friendly System” and “Work-Family Balance Model” to enhance awareness of employers’ responsibility for families, both of which were adopted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and still are effective. Recently, the Forum has been experimenting with the “30% Club” to promote gender diversity, and “Super-aged Society Design Club” and “Life Design Academy” in preparation for the homo-hundred era.

The Meerae Forum would not have been able to continue such meaningful challenges without the members’ never-ending passion and enthusiasm. The Forum will continue to lead innovative solutions, monitor the government’s actions, and contribute to the future that upholds justice and equality, trust and care, and life and diversity as key values.

The Meerae Forum is an invaluable asset that our society needs to cherish and foster. The Forum looks forward to your active support and participation as always.

Thank you