"Seeking Solutions to Community Issues"... SK Hosts '2022 Ulsan Forum'

SK Group's First Regional Forum on the 26th in Ulsan
Held Under the Theme 'ESG, Opening Ulsan's Future'

Chairman Chey Tae-won of SK, who attended the Icheon Forum 2022 last month. Photo by SK Innovation

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jung] SK Group is creating a forum to discuss solutions to social issues faced by local communities and sustainable growth strategies. This is the first expansion of the Icheon Forum, the group's representative knowledge management and communication platform, aimed at coexistence with local communities.

On the 22nd, SK announced that it will hold the 2022 Ulsan Forum under the theme "ESG (Environment, Social, Governance), Opening the Future of Ulsan" on the 26th at the Ulsan Exhibition & Convention Center. This forum, held simultaneously online and offline, is an event where not only SK members but also members of the Ulsan community participate directly. It is an attempt to share the experience and knowledge of the Icheon Forum, which SK has held for six years, with the local community.

Marking its 60th anniversary this year, SK Innovation, whose roots lie in the Ulsan region, prepared the Ulsan Forum together with the group as a platform to share concerns and discuss solutions for Ulsan's future. They judged that gaining trust from stakeholders such as local communities and growing together is essential for sustainable growth. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won also visited the SK Innovation Ulsan Complex in March and stated, "The protagonists of the Ulsan Forum are the local community, and the forum should be centered on local community stakeholders."

Accordingly, the Ulsan Forum is co-hosted by SK and the Ulsan Chamber of Commerce and Industry to connect and expand with the local community, with support from Ulsan City, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), and Ulsan University. Attendees include SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, SK Innovation Vice Chairman Kim Jun, as well as various Ulsan stakeholders from government, institutions, businesses, and academia such as Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom, Ulsan Metropolitan Council Chairman Kim Ki-hwan, Ulsan Chamber of Commerce Chairman Lee Yoon-chul, and Ulsan University President Oh Yeon-cheon.

Since the Ulsan Forum centers on the local community, it will feature two sessions: ▲ Social Value (SV) of the local community and ▲ Green Growth, with keynote speeches and panel discussions. Regarding local community SV, UNIST President Lee Yong-hoon and incoming Korean Academic Society of Business Administration President Kim Jae-gu will deliver keynote speeches on "The Phenomenon of Youth Outflow in Ulsan and the Need for Stakeholder Cooperation" and "SV Creation by Local Companies for Survival and Growth," respectively. This session aims to address concerns about sustainable growth in Ulsan, such as the widening gap with the metropolitan area, job losses, and lack of social safety nets, and to discuss solutions.

The Green Growth session will discuss the necessity and direction of green transformation in Ulsan's manufacturing industry to respond to the climate crisis. Professor Hong Jong-ho of Seoul National University Graduate School of Environmental Studies will present on "The Advent of the Carbon Neutral Era and Changes/Innovations in Manufacturing," followed by a panel discussion.

An SK official said, "The Ulsan Forum is SK Group's first regional forum and an attempt to share the experience and knowledge of the Icheon Forum with the local community," adding, "It is meaningful in that stakeholders come together to pool wisdom to solve social issues in the Ulsan region."

Meanwhile, the Icheon Forum, SK Group's representative knowledge management and communication platform, was launched in 2017 when Chairman Chey proposed, "To avoid corporate sudden death, a forum is needed to cultivate insight by understanding technological innovation and socio-economic demands and preparing for the future." This year, it was held for four days from the 22nd to the 25th of last month under the theme "SK's ESG: Beyond Story to Practice."

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