Kakao Preparing for Season 2... Chairman Kim Beom-su to Lead ESG Committee

Kim Beom-su, Chairman of the Kakao Board of Directors.

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Kakao is strengthening its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)-focused management.

On the 12th, Kakao held a board meeting and resolved to establish an 'ESG Committee' under the board of directors. The ESG Committee will review the direction of the company's sustainable management strategy and oversee the performance and issues related to it.

Kim Beom-su, Chairman of Kakao's Board of Directors, will serve as the chair of the ESG Committee, which will be composed of outside directors Choi Se-jung and Park Sae-rom.

This aligns with the 'Season 2' blueprint Kakao unveiled last year on the 10th anniversary of KakaoTalk. At that time, Chairman Kim emphasized in a message to employees, "I consider the past 10 years as Kakao's Season 1," and added, "In Season 2, I want to emphasize that our unique culture and next business considerations should also include our role as agents in solving social issues."

On the same day, Kakao also established and announced the 'Corporate Governance Charter,' which will serve as the foundation for sustainable management activities.

The Corporate Governance Charter contains operational directions for five areas: shareholders, the board of directors, audit organizations, stakeholders, and market-based management oversight. It declares that under the supervision of the board, management will perform responsible management and establish and develop sound governance.

Kakao is engaged in various activities to strengthen corporate social and digital responsibility.

On the 4th, Kakao released a 'Human Rights Management Declaration' that includes principles for protecting the human rights of members and business partners, guaranteeing users' information protection and freedom of expression, digital responsibility, and eco-friendly orientation. In July last year, reflecting its commitment to child and youth issues, Kakao added prohibited conduct clauses related to child and youth sexual protection to its operational policies.

In January 2018, Kakao became the first domestic company to announce the 'Kakao Algorithm Ethics Charter,' which contains norms regarding AI technology development and ethics. To protect user privacy, Kakao has voluntarily published transparency reports twice a year since 2012. In September last year, it serialized the 'Kakao COVID-19 White Paper' in 10 parts.

Kakao actively addresses social issues by operating various platforms aimed at creating a better society, such as the behavior change platform 'Kakao Project 100' and the voluntary fundraising platform 'Kakao Together Value (Kakao Gatgachi Gachi).'

To contribute to the transition to a low-carbon economy, Kakao is preparing an eco-friendly data center scheduled for completion in 2023. The status and achievements of ESG management will be disclosed in future sustainable management reports.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.