‘카카오 hosted an ‘ESG Academy’ event in collaboration with the Korea Economic Justice Research Institute on the 25th, where they introduced efforts and achievements related to corporate ESG management to young adults targeting the 2030s.
The ‘ESG Academy’ program aims to introduce ESG trends and best practices in sustainable management to young leaders who will lead companies in the future, as well as provide opportunities to experience how ESG management is actually applied in the field. In an effort to broaden the horizons of young individuals, Kakao and the Korea Economic Justice Research Institute jointly planned and sponsored this program.
The program recruited 25 students for its first term this year and has been conducting weekly lectures and tours for a month in July. As part of the field trip, Kakao organized a tour of its headquarters and provided ESG management lectures and networking sessions with professionals in various fields.
During the event, Yook Simna, leader of the ESG initiatives at Kakao’s Corporate Affairs Committee, presented Kakao’s efforts and achievements in ESG management, including the company’s ESG direction, ESG management practices, and domestic and international evaluations of Kakao’s ESG efforts.
Kakao is actively promoting its ‘Barrier-Free Initiative’ to enhance digital accessibility for people with disabilities and has appointed a Digital Accessibility Officer (DAO), the first in a Korean IT company. The company also declared the ‘Active Green Initiative,’ and has been quantifying the carbon index of users’ contributions to the environment through Kakao services since last year, continuing its internal eco-friendly efforts.
Additionally, Kakao continues to engage in ESG activities in partnership with traditional market merchants through initiatives like ‘Our Neighborhood Regular Market,’ which supports merchants in creating and communicating with regular customers through KakaoTalk channels.
Following the presentation, students had the opportunity to engage in open discussions with ESG professionals to address any questions or doubts they had about corporate ESG management practices.
Yook Simna, leader of the ESG initiatives at Kakao’s Corporate Affairs Committee, emphasized that Kakao is actively practicing ESG management from various perspectives, including digital accessibility, environmental sustainability, and partner relations. She also stressed the importance of integrating global standards with a company’s unique characteristics to achieve the best business outcomes through ESG initiatives.
Seol Wonsik, a director at the Korea Economic Justice Research Institute and a professor at Sookmyung Women’s University School of Business, expressed the significance of directly experiencing the on-the-ground ESG management practices and hearing from professionals in the field, as well as the valuable opportunity for 2030 participants to gain a deeper understanding of ESG concepts through the program.’