[Essay] The Chaeum Care: Care That Helps People Flourish

 *Note: 'The Chaeum Care' refers to 'The Enriching Care'—known in Korean as '더채움돌봄'

☐ Beyond the Minimum: The Problem and the Meaning of The Chaeum Care Philosophy

For a long time, I have questioned the limitations of the “National Minimum” framework that has shaped much of our society’s care system. Minimal support designed merely to sustain survival, together with rigid eligibility classifications, can diminish the humanity of both care recipients and care workers. When care is reduced to charity or treated merely as a cost incurred to fill service gaps, the quality of life of everyone involved inevitably suffers.

My philosophy of **The Chaeum Care** therefore begins with a question inspired by the idea of a “Social Maximum”:

What level of dignity and quality of life should society collectively guarantee for all its members?

No one’s life should be sacrificed simply because they receive care or provide it.

The Korean word 'Chaeum' means “enriching or filling,” but the concept reaches far beyond filling gaps in care. It represents growth-centered care that expands the possibilities of life**. As Chizuko Ueno, a prominent Japanese sociologist and scholar of care, has emphasized, care is not simply compassionate assistance that compensates for a person’s limitations. It should also support autonomy, restore dignity, and enable people to live in ways that are true to themselves.

The Chaeum Care is therefore a process of shared and balanced growth. It seeks to strengthen the physical, emotional, economic, and professional capacities of care recipients, care workers, social workers, and the organizations that support them.

This idea of Mutual Flourishing—recognizing one another’s potential and creating the conditions in which people can flourish together—is the essence of The Chaeum Care.

☐ Putting the Philosophy into Practice: The Values Behind the Brand

I do not want this philosophy of care to remain an abstract ideal. I want it to be realized in practice through SE Empower Social Cooperative.

Our brand statement, “The Chaeum Care: Care That Nurtures People,” expresses the direction we seek to pursue in the field.

Our brand symbol is the otter. Otters are widely regarded as indicators of healthy aquatic ecosystems. They are also social animals known for holding hands and sharing body warmth. The symbol therefore represents both ecological sustainability and a caring community built on connection and mutual support.

Just as otters help sustain the balance of their ecosystems, we seek to build a sustainable, community-based care ecosystem grounded in three core values:

"Growth, Connection, and Community."

Based on these values, we are developing five principal areas of work:

1. Care Services for Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities

2. Self-Sufficiency and Employment-Based Care Programs

3. Care Housing**

4. Care Social Enterprise Incubation

5. Welfare and Care Technology Development

By combining public financing and regulation with private-sector flexibility and civic participation, we are working to create a professional care community in which care workers, social workers, organizations, and local communities can grow together.

This is the path that SE Empower is pursuing.

☐ A Message to Care Entrepreneurs

Finally, I would like to offer a message to current and aspiring care entrepreneurs—those already working on the front lines and those preparing to build new businesses in the field of care.

The world is entering a major period of change, reflected in concepts such as the Care Economy, the Longevity Economy, and the Silver Economy. Behind these concepts lies an emerging care ecosystem in which technological innovations—including healthcare technology, bio-care, aging technology, and assistive technology—are converging with community care, the circular economy, and social impact businesses rooted in the Social and Solidarity Economy.

To build a successful care business within this changing environment, entrepreneurs must first understand the distinctive structure of the care services market.

The care market is not a single, unified market. It is a complex ecosystem in which three different market layers are closely interconnected:

1. The Quasi-Market, in which the state or social insurance controls financing, eligibility, prices, and regulation

2. The Private Out-of-Pocket Market, in which consumers purchase services directly according to their needs and willingness to pay

3. The Philanthropy and Social and Solidarity Economy Market, supported by civil society, donations, sponsorship, mutual aid, and social solidarity

In advanced welfare states, public financing and institutional regulation play a particularly significant role, and quasi-market mechanisms are often central to the delivery of care services. A quasi-market is a system in which the state or a social insurance scheme raises and allocates public funds while regulating service prices, reimbursement rates, user eligibility, and quality standards. At the same time, services are provided by a range of public, non-profit, and for-profit providers, which compete for users, while users are given some degree of provider choice.

A clear and realistic understanding of the quasi-market is therefore essential for care entrepreneurs seeking to operate successfully in publicly financed care systems.

The care market should be understood as a multi-layered operating ecosystem. Some businesses may focus on a single market layer, while others may develop multi-layered business models that connect:

* the stability and scale of quasi-markets;

* the innovation, technology, and premium value of private out-of-pocket markets; and

* the public purpose, trust, and resources of philanthropy and Social and Solidarity Economy markets.

Yet the most important message I wish to emphasize is this:

Care entrepreneurs need a clear and analytical understanding of markets, institutions, and technologies. At the same time, they must hold firmly to the values of care for all and respect for human dignity.

Care is not an ordinary commodity that can simply be sold as a product or delivered through technology. It is a relationship-centered and value-driven service through which human warmth is shared, autonomy is supported, and dignity is protected.

I hope that more care entrepreneurs will emerge who combine three essential qualities:

* the capacity to understand the distinctive structure of the care market;

* the strategic ability to design multi-layered business models; and

* a humane philosophy that helps individuals realize their potential and flourish.

Through SE Empower, I will continue to build this path and walk alongside those who share this vision.