New Year Market: Words of Comfort and Courage from Older Hearts

 

<Products from New Year Market: Stickers (top), Hand-illustrated Hwatu cards (center), Seasonal Calendar (bottom) (Photo courtesy of Arip & Werip)>

 

   ‘Try but don’t fry’

   ‘You’re here anyway, make it cool’

   ‘Hang in there, kiddo—your day will come.’

 

   These witty, cheering phrases are taken from a sticker series made by New Year Market, a brand that transforms the voices of older adults into everyday goods. In this unique intergenerational collaboration, older staff contribute their own handwriting and drawings, which younger team members turn into products like notebooks, postcards, and calendars. Those genuine squiggles carry the hard-earned wisdom of New Year Market’s senior staff. Lines like ‘Money’s wild—never takes orders,’ ‘Finish it all and say hi to diabetes and hypertension,’ ‘No job sounds cute until you’re starving,’ and ‘Still confused at eighty, so stop fussing so much’ deliver sharp wit and clear-eyed insight into life.

   New Year Market is a brand run by Arip & Werip, a social enterprise that provides creative, arts-based jobs for older adults in vulnerable circumstances. Its name, “New Year Market,” is read in Korean as “shinior market”—a playful combination of “shinior,” echoing how some older Koreans who are unfamiliar with the English word “senior” pronounce it, and “market,” borrowed from “supermarket” to evoke a place filled with all kinds of everyday goods. Through hand-drawn hwatu (traditional Korean playing cards) and calendars, handmade notebooks, illustrated postcards, stickers, and more, New Year Market (“NYM” hereafter) weaves the words and life stories of older people into a wide range of products.

   To delve deeper into this unique brand, the ASEM Global Ageing Center sat down with Shim Hyun-bo, Arip & Werip CEO, to discuss intergenerational communication and empathy, as well as sustainable models for senior employment.

 

<(Top) NYM products on display in the Arip & Werip meeting room.
(Bottom) A hand-written welcome message by a senior staff member, thoughtfully displayed on the meeting room screen during the interview; it reads “Welcome, AGAC.” (Photos: ASEM Global Ageing Center)>

<Shim Hyun-bo, CEO of Arip & Werip (Photo courtesy of Arip & Werip)>

 

   [Arip & Werip’s Philosophy as a Sustainable Social Enterprise]

   Established in October 2017, Arip & Werip enters its ninth year as a social enterprise committed to both individual and collective empowerment. Its name—a portmanteau of Arip (我立, “I stand”) and Werip (we立, “we stand”)—reflects the company’s founding belief that personal growth and community well-being go hand in hand.

   CEO Shim Hyun-bo was first moved to act after encountering the grim reality of older adults collecting recyclable waste and selling it for just a few thousand won. Determined to offer a more sustainable alternative to this precarious form of labor, he launched a business that connects creative expression with dignified employment—a vision that would eventually take shape as NYM.

   Social enterprises are often thought to rely heavily on public funding. However, with the exception of early-stage support, Arip & Werip has operated independently, sustaining stable growth over the past nine years solely through earned income. This financial self-sufficiency demonstrates that NYM is more than a vehicle for ethical consumption; it has established itself as a competitive, standalone brand with a distinct creative identity.

 

   [Fostering Connection Between Generations]

   The core values embodied in Arip & Werip’s brand are intergenerational communication and empathy. Shim attributes the current generational divide largely to misunderstanding. As opportunities for cross-generational interaction decline, perceptions of other age groups are increasingly shaped by sensationalized or extreme portrayals in the media.

   The growing generational divide is precisely what NYM seeks to bridge—through the heartfelt, handwritten words of its senior staff. Its slogan, “New Year Market, where old words wrap you in warmth,” captures this ethos: younger customers find comfort and connection in the creations of senior staff, while the seniors, in turn, experience a renewed sense of relevance and joy as their words and stories reach others. This reciprocal exchange mirrors what the World Health Organization promotes as a core strategy for addressing ageism: expanding intergenerational contact and mutual understanding.

   The beauty of intergenerational collaboration at NYM is evident throughout its entire creative and production process. The Arip & Werip team is made up of 22 staff members, evenly split between younger and older employees. Younger team members typically lead product planning and marketing, while senior members contribute handwritten messages, illustrations, and product packaging. Despite age differences, everyone addresses one another with the respectful Korean honorific “-nim”, reflecting a culture of mutual regard. One particularly meaningful aspect of their office life is the shared lunch: all employees eat together, believing that everyday interactions are key to fostering intergenerational harmony. As they enjoy side dishes prepared by the senior staff, these daily meals naturally give rise to conversation, laughter, and a deepening sense of community.

 

   [From Beneficiaries of Welfare to Agents of Human Rights]

   As of October 2025, New Year Market employs 11 older adults. With the exception of one full-time member, all work part-time, accommodating their individual circumstances and daily rhythms. The earliest members, often affectionately called ‘the core memba’—a charming mispronunciation of ‘members’ often used by Korean seniors—were first connected through a local welfare center. Now in their 80s on average, they are primarily responsible for handwriting and illustrations. Later, additional older adults in their 70s joined through a local senior club and now oversee product packaging and finishing tasks.

   The types of senior jobs created by NYM range from creative work compensated through copyright fees, to packaging roles, to skilled tasks such as sewing and pressing. When products incorporate artwork or handwriting created by seniors, a set amount is paid as a copyright fee. Packaging work is paid at the statutory minimum wage, while skilled tasks receive pre-job training at no cost and are compensated according to the Seoul living wage standard. In addition, 10% of net profits are returned to senior partners in the form of designated sponsorship payments.

   At NYM, older adults aren’t cast as passive recipients of care—they are empowered creators and workers in their own right. Their talents and life stories are not tucked away as memories, but transformed into vibrant, creative expressions that bring new meaning and value to the world.

   NYM’s products carry the personalities and unfiltered voices of their senior makers. Some messages include misspellings or words crossed out with hand-drawn “X” marks. NYM leaves these traces intact—a deliberate choice that honors its senior staff not only for the lives they have lived, but also for who they are today.

   New senior hires at Arip & Werip are rare, usually only replacing those who leave for health reasons or eligibility for basic livelihood support. For most, it’s a long-term gig once they are in. Given the structural limitations of public senior job programs, where fixed-term roles are often insecure due to pressure to accommodate future applicants, NYM’s sustainable, autonomy-driven model offers a powerful counterexample.

 

   [Amplifying Brand Value Through Cross-Industry Collaborations]

   New Year Market works with a wide range of companies and brands across industries to champion intergenerational communication and diversity. By adding the distinctive touch of its older creators to partners’ existing products, NYM develops collaborative items designed to appeal to its mainly young customer base with a sense of both freshness and nostalgia.

   The first such initiative took shape in a sustainable packaging project with SK Telink’s budget mobile brand, SK Seven Mobile. The green smartphone delivery box and SIM envelope—both made from recycled paper—featured handwritten messages and illustrations created by NYM seniors. Phrases like ‘Look both ways and don’t miss the ring,’ and ‘Call me more often’ were printed in warm handwriting on the delivery box, adding a personal, heartwarming touch. The plastic SIM card—typically discarded after the chip is removed—was redesigned as a reusable name tag, complete with illustrations and phrases such as ‘Spend smart. Live large’ and ‘Thrift is power.’ These small details brought new life and meaning to everyday packaging.

   In 2023, NYM teamed up with skincare brand Skinfood to redesign its Carrot Pad special set—and the response was overwhelmingly positive. The original packaging was redesigned to incorporate handwritten messages and illustrations by older creators, and the product sold out within just ten days, followed by another clean sweep of the subsequent holiday edition in only fifteen days.

 

<Green delivery package for SK Seven Mobile. The SIM envelope reads, ‘What in the world is this teeny thing? U… what now? U…SIM?’ (Photo courtesy of Arip & Werip)>

<SK Seven Mobile SIM card frame designed by NYM. (Photo courtesy of Arip & Werip)>

<Skinfood “Carrot Pad Special Set” packaging design featuring NYM artwork. (Photo courtesy of Arip & Werip)>

 

   NYM has been steadily expanding its collaborative footprint, partnering with brands as varied as Daiso Korea (a popular discount variety store chain), CU (a major convenience store franchise in Korea), Kakao, Aero K Airlines, and most recently, Naver. For Hangeul Day, NYM and Naver launched a playful campaign titled “Hangul, Hangul, Discovered Afresh” where children and older adults swapped their personal takes on uniquely Korean words like nunchi (subtle art and ability to listen and gauge others' moods), meot (style), and seounhada (feeling quietly hurt). As part of the initiative, online participants received handwritten reply letters and sticker sets created by NYM’s senior contributors.

   From skincare sets to phone packaging, these cross-industry collaborations show that the value of intergenerational empathy can be meaningfully expanded through the market—and that economic sustainability for social enterprises is not only possible, but can thrive through creative partnerships.

 

   [Beyond New Year Market: Toward Broader Models of Intergenerational Work]

   The experience of fostering intergenerational collaboration at New Year Market continues to evolve through new projects by Arip & Werip. One such initiative is Hallo Market, a bakery café that opened in Suseong-gu, Daegu in February 2025.

   Hallo Market was created through a collaborative effort involving the Life Insurance Philanthropy Foundation, Suseong District Office, Suseong Senior Club, and SPC Group, a food & confectionary conglomerate. Designed and led by Arip & Werip, this “intergenerational job-creation and cultural space” brings seniors and youth together under one roof—seniors take charge of beverage-making and sales, while younger participants lead the café’s branding and promotion.

   Following the success of NYM, Arip & Werip is also preparing to launch a new intergenerational employment brand. Under the internal motto “Let’s create jobs for our moms and dads,” the company is envisioning work opportunities open to anyone aged 65 and older. Drawing inspiration from inclusive social enterprises like Bear Better and Donggubat, which employ individuals with developmental disabilities, the new model aims to standardize and systematize work processes, allowing older adults to adjust quickly and confidently to their new roles.

 

   [In Closing]

   For many older adults at New Year Market, going to work is something they genuinely look forward to—not out of obligation, but because it gives them a place where they feel seen and valued. Some call it “a new chapter in life,” others “an anchor,” still others “a source of hope and happiness.” And indeed, NYM is more than a workplace; it is a living community where life continues to unfold. Here, older adults rediscover self-worth and a sense of community, connecting with younger generations through daily interaction and shared purpose.

   NYM redefines senior labor not as an extension of welfare policy, but as a meaningful form of social participation. It stands as a real-world example of how senior employment can shift from charity-based support to rights-based engagement.

   The model it presents challenges conventional assumptions about work in later life. At New Year Market, older adults are not viewed as passive recipients of care, but as active agents in building relationships and shaping culture. As creators and collaborators working alongside younger colleagues, they help foster a culture of intergenerational respect and understanding. In doing so, they chip away at age-based prejudice and exclusion—quietly proving, through everyday interactions, that ageing does not have to mean social isolation.

   New Year Market offers a compelling reference point for all societies facing the realities of population ageing. It invites a fundamental question: How can we build systems where older adults work with dignity, turning their experience and emotional insight into shared social value? In this light, New Year Market stands as both a practical response and a hopeful step toward a more age-integrated society—one that embraces older adults as a vital part of our cultural and economic fabric.