Home > Past Event > ASES2010 > Highlights   11. 28. 18:00~21:00 Bipa Hall of Seoul KyoYuk MunHwa Hoekwan On the night before the opening ceremony of ASES 2010, foreign participants who flew from various parts of Asia gathered together to enjoy the Welcome Party. The 40 participants who came to the party spent a delightful time getting to know each other. After a warm welcoming dinner and a welcoming address from Kwang-Taek Lee, the Executive Director of Work Together Foundation, there was a Communication Design Workshop, emceed by Nae Young Kang, a research associate from E-um. It was a nice ice-breaking event that loosened the rather awkward atmosphere of the opening party. Through short games, the participants eased their tensions and became much closer to each other. These games involved searching for their partners with their eyes closed, drawing each other's faces, and expressing "Asia" as a group. Although the participants were most likely exhausted from their travels, they were very actively engaged. Such enthusiasm heightened the anticipation for the sessions of ASES 2010.   11. 29. 09:00~10:45 Guhmoongo Hall of Seoul KyoYuk MunHwa Hoekwan 300 social entrepreneurs and other affiliates of social enterprises from 15 Asian countries gathered at the ASES 2010 Opening Ceremony. In the Opening Address, Wol-Joo Song, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee and the Work Together Foundation, stated that he considered the summit as a significant venue where the issue of poverty in Asia could be considered by social enterprises. In the following Congratulatory Message, Jae-Wong Bahk, the Minister of Ministry of Employment and Labor said that the success and failure of a social enterprise ultimately depends on the "person", and that "Korean government is making their best efforts to incubate more social enterprises in which creative-minded social entrepreneurs can actively engage in". Ho-Sang Ahn, the CEO of Seoul Foundation Arts and Culture also welcomed the participants by saying, "I hope that social entrepreneurs of Asia can solve many problems that it faces by discussing culture". The Keynote Speaker of this day was Antonio Meloto, the Founder of Gawad Kalinga, a social enterprise in Philippines. In the Keynote Speech, he said that "The platform for Gawad Kalinga is land for the landless, homes for the homeless, and food for the hungry. We are always thinking of ways to maximize benefits for both the rich and the poor and how to connect them". In addition, Meloto emphasized the importance of "human value", a value that respects human dignity and protects the environment. He further asserted that Asian countries must gather together to solve the problem of poverty in Asia and protect the environment to ensure better lives for people.   11. 29~30. Lobby of Guhmoongo Hall of Seoul KyoYuk MunHwa Hoekwan All throughout the summit, in the lobby of Guhmoongo Hall, there was an exhibition that introduced ten main social enterprises of Korea. This exhibition received favorable responses from the participants because it introduced the local social enterprises to foreign entrepreneurs directly, and also became a subject for conversations between social entrepreneurs.   11. 29. 19:00~21:30 Guhmoongo Hall of Seoul KyoYuk MunHwa Hoekwan On the first night of the summit, there was an "Asian Night" where social entrepreneurs from various countries socialized with each other. Participants enjoyed their dinner and freely conversed with one another while being seated in tables that were separated according to each industry. For this dinner, there were splendid performances by the social enterprise "Dulsori" and "Hanbit Arts" so that all participants could experience the diverse spectrum of cultural and artistic sector of Korean social enterprises.   11. 30. 15:00~17:00 Guhmoongo Hall of Seoul KyoYuk MunHwa Hoekwan A Closing Ceremony was held to conclude the ASES 2010. The Keynote Speaker was Jae-Woong Ahn, the Chairman of Dasomi Foundation. He cited Michael Sandal's book "Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?" by saying that "In order to make a fair society, the three things that social entrepreneurs must keep in mind are maximizing welfare, respecting freedom, and enhancing virtue". After the speeches, a Congratulatory Address from David Pollock (the Senior Advisor of Ashoka Foundation) and the ASES Seoul Declaration which was prepared by social entrepreneurs followed. The presenters were Chang Soo Kyung of National Council of Social Enterprises in Korea and Ting Yu Chou of Eden Foundation. In the Declaration, the participants stated three elements for the development of social enterprises that are helping to solve poverty in Asia. The first is promoting communal spirit in society. The second is building intimate cooperative systems that disregard regional and national fences and further enhancing existing networks and ideas. The third is creating an Asian type of social enterprise model that can by itself give autonomy and creativity to sharing leadership within members of the civil society. After the Declaration, there was a screening of commemoration video of the ASES that contained various scenes from its two days. After a group photo, the ASES 2010 came to an end.   11. 30. 18:00~22:00 â‘  Jongro-gu, Seoul, Joong-gu area On the night of the 30th, after the official programs of the summit ended, there were optional tours that were provided to foreign participants. Volunteers and 27 participants formed groups to visit Gwanghwamun, Jongro, Insa-dong, and Myungdong for sightseeing Seoul's main tourist spots. The participants toured by walking and taking public transportations to enjoy Korean culture and the Seoul atmosphere. 12. 1. 09:00~18:00 â‘¡ Bukchon Hanok Village, Eco Party Mearry, Haja Center On December 1st, the day after the summit, 17 foreign participants were provided with special opportunities. They had the chance to visit Bukchon Hanok Village where they could experience Korean traditional culture and the social enterprise Eco Party Mearry. They also visited the Haja Center, a place for incubating social enterprises. It was a very special tour that allowed the participants to experience the actual sites of Korean social enterprises outside of the conference halls.