President Wi Sung-baek of Korea Deposit Insurance Corp.(KDIC). (Photos: KDIC)

Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC) will ramp up the scale of its support for the growth of social economy enterprises.

KDIC recently said it will increase the number of support beneficiary companies to 25 from 13 this year to rev up local economies hit hard by the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19).

The KDIC Hope New Deal Project is a large-scale fiscal policy initiative intended to inject fresh vitality into the Korean economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project also aims to give support to the government’s Korean New Deal policies and create social value such as decent jobs.

Forest Story, a social cooperative established in 2016 to hire and help people with developmental disabilities, recycled about 600 high-quality household goods donated by executives and employees of KDIC on two occasions, and sold them in 2020.

This year, 25 outstanding companies were selected after evaluations of 97 companies. The 97 companies applied for the project through promotions by related organizations such as the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation's website and the Social Enterprise Promotion Agency.

PR images of KDIC Hope New Deal and Online Job Camp & Corporate Situation Exploration

In particular, the 25 outstanding companies included 15 companies suffering from COVID-19 in non-Seoul metropolitan areas. KDIC delivered three million won each to the selected companies.

“We will plow ahead with various cooperative projects to support the selected companies’ sustainable growth, including the invitation of them to KDIC’s direct marketplaces,” a KDIC official said. “We will continue to actively practice environmental, social and governance (ESG) management.”

KDIC held an online job camp for college students in North Chungcheong Province on Aug. 26.

The camp was held jointly with the Korea Employment Information Service, the Korea Human Resource Development Institute for Health & Welfare and the Korea Consumer Agency. Considering the COVID-19 quarantine situation, it was conducted online.

The Job Camp Program drew roughly 120 college students from universities including the Glocal Campus of Konkuk University, Seowon University, Semyung University, Cheongju University, and Chungbuk National University in North Chungcheong Province.

The program offered special lectures on employment strategies, information on new employees hiring procedures at four institutions, and employment counseling with incumbent employees.

In particular, the program introduced AI mock interviews and online interview strategies to empower students to systematically prepare for non-face-to-face recruitment screening processes.

Reflecting the opinions of participants in the previous year's job camp, group mentoring was also added as a new program.

The group monitoring allowed them to listen to employment strategies and know-how of employees who recently obtained jobs.

“We will continue to make efforts to fulfill our social responsibilities as a public institution by strengthening employment support by reflecting the needs of students in the future,” a KDIC official emphasized.

A view of the building where KDIC has its offices in Seoul.