[Sponsored Report] Creating opportunities for success

eBay Korea organized a free business lecture for people with disabilities in Daejeon to educated them about online entrepreneurship. [EBAY KOREA]

eBay Korea, which runs the country’s biggest online shopping malls Gmarket, Auction and G9, is increasing its efforts to provide free training to people with disabilities by expanding their education programs outside Seoul to Busan and Daejeon. These programs for people with hearing disabilities launched at a time when professional training opportunities for the community are limited, and they have drawn a great deal of interest and attention. eBay Korea is bringing its business education program to regions across the nation to better meet the needs of Korea’s disabled population.

As a part of its effort to maximize the company’s social impact, eBay launched their “Together Project” last year. This program offers free entrepreneurship lectures for people with physical disabilities, job seekers from low-income families or seniors who lack access to information and resources.

This project comes out of the company’s firm belief that it is necessary to share information and expertise with the socially vulnerable and equip them with education. Through its customized business education, eBay Korea aims to fully prepare the people served by the program to be able to start online businesses and navigate through difficulties smoothly.

Ko Gwang-chae, the founder of Witlife, appeared as a lecturer at one of eBay’s business education programs. He launched his own online business, Witlife, an online store that mainly sells household items and kitchen supplies. Based upon his 11 years of experience selling products using online market platforms, he has helped participants get a more clear understanding of online entrepreneurship and gave them a solid direction in starting an online business and boosting online product sales.

He encouraged prospective entrepreneurs with disabilities by sharing his personal story of how he became a recognized online seller despite his hearing impairment. He ended his lecture with encouragement, “You can start an online business even if you have only one product to sell.”

eBay Korea also developed an online shopping destination called Careplus for people with disabilities and their families. Careplus is an exclusive store within their Auction platform that caters specifically for people with disabilities and elderly customers. By specializing in the sales of products tailored to their disabilities, the online store helps them easily find the products they need. Additionally, eBay also made the site easier for vendors with disabilities to navigate.

BY LEE CHAE-WON [lee.chaewon1@joongang.co.kr]