ESG 'Top Performer' DGB Financial... "Stepping Up as a Global Model Group"

Reelected Kim Tae-o, Chairman of DGB Financial
Proposes ESG Management as Top Priority
Establishment of Committees, Management, and Working Councils
Achievements Include Expansion of Paperless Work Environment

"We will strive to become a global-level exemplary financial group in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management."

This was the management message delivered by Kim Tae-oh, Chairman of DGB Financial Group (pictured), whose reappointment was confirmed at the shareholders' meeting on the 26th of last month.

Immediately after the shareholders' meeting, Chairman Kim held an 'ESG Management Declaration Ceremony,' stating, "In the new normal era, ESG management, whose importance is increasingly emphasized, must be systematically practiced based on the interest and participation of all executives and employees." This is interpreted as his determination to make ESG management the group's top priority and accelerate the promotion of detailed implementation tasks.

To support the systematic promotion, implementation, and management of ESG management, DGB Financial recently established the ESG Committee, ESG Management Council, and ESG Working Council in addition to the existing dedicated ESG department, coinciding with Chairman Kim's reappointment.

DGB Financial began promoting ESG management by holding the first 'Sustainable Management Declaration Ceremony' among domestic companies in 2006, and since Chairman Kim's inauguration in 2018, its achievements have been notably recognized.

Last year, at the '2020 Korea Sustainability Awards,' DGB Financial became the first in the country to receive the 'Sustainability Report Award (KRCA)' for the 10th time, entering the KRCA 'Hall of Fame.' At the '2020 ESG Excellent Companies' awards hosted by the Korea Corporate Governance Service, it received an integrated 'A+' rating, the highest level among financial institutions.

Additionally, it maintains high evaluations from global sustainability assessment organizations such as DJSI (Dow Jones Sustainability Index) and CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project).

Since 2018, DGB Financial has participated as a member of the 'TCFD (Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures),' established by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) at the request of the G20. Furthermore, in the same year, it became the first domestic financial institution to sign the SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative). The SBTi establishes science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets necessary to keep global temperature rise below 2℃ compared to pre-industrial levels.

In the field operations, the paperless work environment is expanding. For example, DGB Daegu Bank has exceeded its initial final target of 50% of total transactions by achieving nearly 60% electronic document usage for forms and slips generated during customer service processes.

DGB Financial also signed the 'WEPs (Women’s Empowerment Principles)' in 2019 and practices gender equality and women's empowerment in its management strategies and related matters.

Regarding governance, it was the first in the domestic financial sector to introduce a CEO development program, through which Lim Sung-hoon was elected as the current CEO of DGB Daegu Bank. To strengthen ethical management, the group produces a series of ethical management educational videos and distributes them to all affiliates.

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