This is the Sangju City Cooperative History and Culture Center in Gyeongsangbuk-do.

This is the Sangju City Cooperative History and Culture Hall in Gyeongsangbuk-do. In order to improve the lives of farmers who were impoverished during the Japanese colonial period, the cooperative movement of intellectuals studying abroad in Japan was promoted, and finally, the first private cooperative in South Korea was established in the Hamchang region. After Japan made Joseon its colony, it exploited and plundered Joseon's rural areas in order to solve its chronic rice shortage. From the beginning of its colonial rule, Japan carried out land survey projects and implemented a rice production increase plan in the 1920s. All of these policies were aimed at solving Japan's rice shortage. The land survey project and rice production increase plan implemented during this period turned 80% of farmers into tenant farmers, and landlords transferred various burdens such as irrigation association fees and fertilizer costs to tenant farmers, and extorted 70-80% of the rent. Landlords' tenant management was also strengthened, and they thoroughly controlled everything from the instructions for varieties to cultivation techniques, fertilizer types, and agricultural tools used and harvest times. The Japanese threatened the livelihood of tenant farmers by denying hereditary farming rights and shortening the tenancy period to one year. In addition to the rent, they were forced to bear various burdens such as labor service and funeral expenses, making tenant farmers subordinate to the landlords. These poor tenant farming conditions were the cause of the intense tenant disputes. The peasant movement during the Japanese colonial period also had the character of a political independence movement against the colonial system. In order to protect and secure the rights of tenant farmers, tenant farmers organized tenant organizations such as the Tenant Association, Tenant Mutual Aid Association, and Farmers’ Mutual Aid Association. Tenant disputes sometimes occurred spontaneously, but the leadership and assistance of the Joseon Labor Mutual Aid Association (1920) and Joseon Labor Union (1924) had a major impact. The first tenant dispute began on November 13, 1919, when about 1,500 tenant farmers from Heukgyo Farm in Hwanghae Province protested against high rents. The tenant disputes in the first half of the 1920s were led by tenant groups, and their goals were to fight against miscellaneous burdens and rent reductions. From 1923 onwards, most of the struggles were against the deprivation of tenant rights. This was because the government used the deprivation of tenant rights as a weapon to demand high rents or suppress tenant farmers’ complaints about rent reductions. The tenant farmers’ struggles appeared as the disobedience of tenant land, the non-payment of rent, and the starvation alliance, and then expanded into violent struggles. The social economy includes various cooperatives such as social enterprises, village enterprises, self-supporting enterprises, cooperatives, agricultural cooperatives, and fisheries cooperatives. Social economy enterprises refer to those that solve problems that the market economy cannot solve through business in a democratic manner (providing jobs and social services for the vulnerable, expanding community-based economic entities, etc.). Voluntary and open membership composition Cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all who can use the services of the cooperative and are willing to fulfill their responsibilities as members, without gender, social, racial, political, or religious discrimination. Democratic management by members Cooperatives are democratic organizations managed by members, and members actively participate in policy making and decision-making. Elected executives must serve and be accountable to members. In unit cooperatives, each member has equal voting rights (one person, one vote), and cooperatives at the federation level are also organized and operated in a democratic manner. Management participation of members The raised capital is democratically controlled. Generally, a portion of the capital is the common property of the cooperative. In the case of dividends, members receive limited dividends according to the amount of their investment. Members distribute surpluses according to their purposes. Autonomy and Independence Cooperatives are autonomous self-help organizations managed by their members. When cooperatives enter into agreements with other organizations, such as governments, or seek external capital, they must ensure democratic control by their members and maintain the autonomy of the cooperative. Education, training and information for members Cooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected officials, managers and staff to enable them to contribute effectively to the development of their cooperative. Cooperatives inform the general public, especially the younger generation and opinion leaders, about the nature and benefits of cooperation. Cooperation among cooperatives Cooperatives strengthen the cooperative movement and serve their members most effectively by working together locally, nationally, regionally and internationally. Contribution to the community Cooperatives strive for the sustainable development of the communities in which they operate through policies agreed upon by their members. #Domestic travel #Travel plan #February travel subsidy event