SK Partners with Seoul City for 'Yakja Donghaeng' to Address Social Issues

Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

SK Group and the Seoul Metropolitan Government have agreed to actively promote comprehensive cooperation measures, including the introduction of the Social Progress Credit (SPC) program, to address social issues that exacerbate the difficulties faced by vulnerable groups in welfare blind spots.

Attention is focused on the fact that SK Group, which has led ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) management in Korea, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, which has emphasized "walking together with the vulnerable" as a core philosophy of city administration, have come together in agreement on the purpose and outcomes of the Social Progress Credit to actively tackle social problems.

To this end, on the 28th, SK Group and the Seoul Metropolitan Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for "Practicing Walking Together with the Vulnerable and Spreading Its Value" at Seoul City Hall, with participation from Cho Kyung-mok, Chairman of the SV Committee, Kim Ui-seung, First Deputy Mayor of Seoul, and Na Seok-kwon, Director of the Center for Social Economy Studies (CSES).

Going forward, SK Group and the Seoul Metropolitan Government will promote projects that provide rewards proportional to the achievements in solving social problems and will discover public-private cooperation projects for walking together with the vulnerable. They also plan to engage in joint cooperation such as participating in the technology accompaniment network and supporting the utilization of technology.

First, Seoul will introduce and implement SK’s Social Progress Credit (SPC) program for its partner social enterprises and social ventures. Proposed by SK Chairman Chey Tae-won and implemented by SK Group since 2015, the Social Progress Credit is a program that provides "cash incentives" proportional to the "social outcomes" created by social enterprises. SK Group has provided incentives totaling 52.7 billion KRW up to last year.

Starting next year, Seoul plans to select outstanding social enterprises and social ventures, measure their achievements in solving social problems, and provide rewards accordingly. To this end, the Center for Social Economy Studies (CSES), a nonprofit research foundation established by SK Group, will support measurement using its own measurement systems and methodologies.

Additionally, SK Group and Seoul will actively promote specific public-private cooperation projects for walking together with the vulnerable. The "Finding Wheelchair-Accessible Restrooms" project, involving SK’s specialized social contribution foundation, the Happiness Sharing Foundation, will create and provide a wheelchair map to the public based on citizen participation information. SK Telecom will tackle challenges faced by socially vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities using AI technologies including Vision AI.

Furthermore, SK Group will actively participate in Seoul’s technology support network for walking together with the vulnerable and seek ways to contribute. Chairman Chey Tae-won, who has led ESG management, has emphasized that solving today’s complex social problems is possible only through integrated participation of all social actors. At the first-ever SOVAC 2023 "SV (Social Value) Leaders Summit" held in September, he stated, "Solving complex social issues such as the climate crisis, social safety nets, youth problems, and low birth rates is only possible when the government, local governments, private companies, social ventures, social enterprises, and nonprofit organizations (NPOs) cooperate integrally."

Previously, SK and Seoul have steadily carried out joint projects for a sustainable society over recent years, and with the signing of this MOU, the public-private cooperation system between the two organizations is expected to be further strengthened.

Since 2019, SK Telecom has been providing AI care services to elderly residents in Seoul. It has distributed AI speakers to about 3,500 seniors and offers AI check-in services to approximately 20,000 elderly people. Since 2021, 11st, a subsidiary of SK Square, has been operating an online exclusive platform for small business owners in Seoul. SK Energy has been conducting solar power generation projects and building eco-friendly charging infrastructure at gas stations and charging stations in Seoul since 2021.

Cho Kyung-mok, Chairman of the SV Committee, said, "With this MOU, SK’s technological capabilities will be added to Seoul’s various policy efforts to solve social problems, and we expect that more diverse projects for walking together with the vulnerable will be discovered and flexibly promoted." A Seoul city official said, "This will be a good opportunity to seek solutions to various social problems that cannot be solved by public will and efforts alone."

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