Labor ministry opens social value contest judging to 30-member public panel

South Korea's labor ministry said it will recruit 30 ordinary citizens to score the social-value business models of 10 finalist companies.

The audience panel will attend Value-up Day, the final round of the 2026 Social Value Business Model Contest, on Nov. 4 at the Ferrum Tower in Seoul. Their assessment will count for five bonus points in the contest's final scoring, and participants who complete the evaluation will receive an activity certificate and a gift voucher.

At the same event, a National Value Investor program will be run for members of the public who attend in person. After hearing the finalists present, participants will be given 10 million won ($7,416) in virtual investment funds to spread across three companies.

The contest, whose total prize pool is 50 million won ($37,078), is organized by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency.

Ahead of the finals, the agency ran a Mentoring Day pairing companies with experts, and the participating companies are preparing their final presentations based on feedback on investor pitch materials, social value improvement strategies and marketing strategies.

"This audience panel and National Value Investor program are a venue for participation where citizens directly evaluate social value and help discover excellent social value business models," an agency official said. "We look forward to the strong interest and participation of citizens interested in solving social problems and creating social value."

Details about the audience panel recruitment and the National Value Investor program are available on the contest's official website.