SK Icheon Forum Opens... "Seeking Urgent Solutions for ESG Implementation"

2022 Icheon Forum Opening
Discussion on Detailed ESG Implementation Plans

Cho Dae-sik, Chairman of the SK Supex Council, is delivering the opening remarks at the 6th "Icheon Forum" held on the 22nd at the Grand Walkerhill in Gwangjang-dong, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, will hold discussions to strengthen ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management together with global leaders and business partners.

SK Group announced that from the 22nd, it will hold the 'Icheon Forum 2022' under the theme 'SK's ESG, Beyond Story to Practice' for four days at the Grand Walkerhill in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.

The Icheon Forum was established in 2017 when Chairman Chey Tae-won proposed that "in a rapidly changing business environment, companies need a forum for discussion to develop insights to understand technological innovation and socio-economic demands and prepare for the future to avoid sudden death."

At the opening ceremony, about 100 people attended, including Chairman Chey, Vice Chairman Choi Chang-won of SK Discovery, Chairman Cho Dae-sik of the SK Supex Council, key executives, outside directors, academia, and representatives from the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Chairman Cho said, "ESG practice has become an urgent task that can no longer be postponed," adding, "I hope this forum will be a time to share the necessity of ESG practice and find concrete answers on how to implement ESG."

Following this, Professor Hubert Joly of Harvard University (former CEO of Best Buy) delivered a keynote speech titled 'ESG Management in the Era of Stakeholder Capitalism.' Professor Joly emphasized, "In the ESG era, businesses that create social value are necessary, and management leadership must also change to achieve this."

In the afternoon, experts from international organizations and investment institutions pursuing sustainable growth, including Georg Kell, the inaugural Secretary-General of the UN Global Compact (UNGC), participated as panelists to discuss 'Why Social Value is Important in Corporate Management.'

Choi Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, is attending the 6th 'Icheon Forum' held on the 22nd at Grand Walkerhill in Gwangjang-dong, Seoul, listening to the speakers' lectures.

Additionally, from the 23rd to the 25th, the venue will move to the SKMS Research Institute in Icheon, where sessions will be held to discuss detailed practical measures for each ESG area.

On the 23rd, the focus will be on the environment, discussing specific implementation plans to achieve Net Zero results. On the 24th, the topic will be society, sharing new relationships and ways to pursue happiness among companies, employees, and society. On the final day, the 25th, the focus will be governance, debating the direction of evolving management systems that can secure stakeholder trust and enhance corporate value.

SK has recently been opening the Icheon Forum to external stakeholders. Last year, it invited academia-centered participants such as visiting professors and students from the in-house capability enhancement platform mySUNI, and this year, it expanded the scope to include partner companies and social enterprises.

An SK Group official said, "Although there are calls for slowing down ESG management due to prolonged economic downturn caused by global inflation, SK is steadily pursuing ESG management as a sustainable and reliable growth methodology," adding, "We will further open the doors of the Icheon Forum to communicate with diverse stakeholders and develop it into a knowledge platform leading ESG management."

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