(photo taken at the BIEN Congress 2023 in Seoul, South Korea)
Something historical is happening in South Korea now. For Koreans of course, but equally importantly, for the global basic income movement. Lee Jae Myung who was voted to power as the President of South Korea in the first week of June 2025 has been an ardent supporter of Basic Income and has attended and addressed several of BIEN Congresses and conferences. Basic Income Korean Network (BIKN) has been working closely with him ever since he has been the Mayor of Seongnam city where he introduced the ‘Youth Dividend’ – unconditional cash given to everyone in a specific age group – 18 to 21. Subsequently as the Governor of Gyeonggi province, he introduced several basic-income-like schemes and experiments.
Hyosang Ahn, the President of Basic Income Korea Network reflects on the prospects of basic income implementation in South Korea in the coming years.
In his reflection, Hyosang mentions Lee Jae Myung’s vision of a ‘Basic Society’ which was his 2025 election manifesto. We are attaching that document as well for your reference.
Will this be a turning point in the basic income movement in Korea? What will be the ripple effects of this development on the rest of the world? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, we as a basic income community stand by BIKN in their efforts to realise our collective vision of building a basic income society.
We congratulate President Lee Jae Myung and wish him well whole heartedly and extend our support to his efforts in making Korean society a role model for the rest of the world.
Below: An Open Letter from Basic Income Korean Network. Also included: an English translation and original Korean copy of Lee Jae Myung’s Vision for a Basic Society:
“…there are on the horizon two radical ideas that have the potential to create synergy which can revolutionize the way we are currently addressing the income vulnerability and different forms of deprivation in the world today. The two ideas are Bitcoin and Universal Basic Income: that is, providing a basic income to every human being on the planet by means of Bitcoin. What is common between these two ideas is that they are based on certain foundation human values: individual freedom and autonomy, human dignity and equity.”
Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanityintroduces Citizen Funds and a Universal Basic Dividend (UBD) as bold proposals to reduce inequality, increase wellbeing, and boost creativity and innovation in a time of social and economic upheaval.
This webinar will delve into the core concepts, potential benefits, and real-world applications of UBD as a transformative policy drawing on the experiences of our expert panel. We will explore:
The fundamentals of Universal Basic Dividend
Its potential to address economic inequality and enhance wellbeing
The potential impact of UBD on sustainability and environmental stewardship
Case studies and evidence from around the world
The panel:
Sarath Davala is an Indian sociologist, and President of Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN). He is co-author of the book: Basic Income: A Transformative Policy for India and contributing author to the Earth4All deep-dive paper Unconditional cash transfers and the five turnarounds: beneficiaries’ perspectives. He was Research Director of the Madhya Pradesh Basic Income Pilot (2010-2014) and is currently co-director of WorkFREE, a Basic Income pilot with waste collectors in Hyderabad. He is the co-founder of India Network for Basic Income and Mission Possible 2030 – both working on promoting informed conversation about Basic Income.
Ken Webster is a Visiting Professor at Cranfield University and a Fellow of CISL (Cambridge University Institute for Sustainability Leadership). From 2010 – 2018 he was Head of Innovation for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a circular economy pioneer organisation where he helped shape current notions of a ‘circular economy’, and is the founder of the Society for the Circular Economy. He a member of Earth4All’s Transformational Economics Commission, contributing author of Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity, and lead author of three Earth4All deep-dive papers on Universal Basic Dividend.
Caroline Whyte has a background in ecological economics and does research and advocacy for Feasta, the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability. She has a particular interest in global environmental justice, Just Transition and financial system reform. She contributed to Feasta’s books Fleeing Vesuvius and Sharing for Survival. Along with four other Feasta Climate Group members she helped to launch the CapGlobalCarbon initiative at the COP-21 summit in Paris in December 2015. She is a steering group member of the Wellbeing Economy Hub for Ireland, which she represents in the European Union Wellbeing Economy Coalition, and she is a member of the Irish National Economic and Social Council.
To register andsend your questions to our panel, click here.
We are seeking a dedicated and enthusiastic Volunteer Website Manager to join us at BIEN. As the Website Manager, you will play a crucial role in ensuring our website effectively communicates our mission, values, and resources dedicated to advocating for Basic Income.
The confluence of multiple contemporary crises has made a Basic Income an achievable goal and made BIEN more important than ever. Discussions and policy debates about Basic Income are taking place in countries across the world. This is an incredible opportunity for BIEN to strengthen its reach and solidify its role as the go-to-source on Basic Income.
BIEN’s mandate is to foster informed discussion about this topic throughout the world. In this time of crisis, we need to provide ever more reliable information and a rigorous interpretation of facts about Basic Income. We want to reach every politician, scholar, activist, and artist in every country.
To do this we need hands, hearts, and funds.
Hands
Since 1986, BIEN has grown thanks to the incredible efforts of its volunteers. All BIEN Executive Committee members are dedicated volunteers. Yet to increase our impact and rise to the current political situation, we need more volunteers. We also need paid staff.
Hearts
We need more supporters, more members and affiliates across countries. We appeal to our members to encourage others to become members and affiliates of BIEN. Tell us what you need and want to get involved! We want to learn from our affiliates and grow our community.
Funds
We are initiating BIEN Hubs in different parts of the world – Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Europe. To support this effort, we have been working on fund-raising since 2021. In 2022, we secured a three-year grant from Mustardseed Trust to increase and strengthen BIEN’s presence at the global level. However, a big chunk of the grant is earmarked as matching funding, realizable upon BIEN raising funds from other sources. In other words, for every pound we raise, Mustardseed Trust will give one additional pound.
With these considerations in mind, and for the first time in our history, we are appealing to our affiliates and members to donate to BIEN. To join hands and hearts with us.
No amount is too small, and really no amount is too large. Our immediate requirement is to raise 10,000 pounds to appoint a Manager for BIEN Latin America and we need to show this to Mustardseed by early 2023. We are asking all of you as stakeholders in BIEN – please join us at this critical historical moment, for BIEN and for the world, and support us to transition BIEN into becoming an organization, network, movement fit for the current time. If every member donates £100, we will more than meet our target. With £200, we will be able to immediately open a further Hub. Please give what you can! This holiday season, when you are considering gifts, add BIEN to your list.
For any further information about the BIEN Hubs, about this critical time for BIEN, and indeed about our fundraising, please contact BIEN Coordinator, Wolfgang: wolfgang@basicincome.org
