Highest Achievement in South Korea's Public Sector... BPA Receives 'Prime Minister's Commendation' for Sustainable Management

Environmental, Social, and Transparent Management, Sole Recipient of Prime Minister's Commendation

Recognized for Promoting ESG Management Culture in Shipping and Ports

Busan Port Authority (BPA, President Kang Jun-seok) received the Prime Minister's Commendation in recognition of its top performance in sustainable management capabilities in the public sector.

On the 14th, BPA announced that it was the only organization to receive the 'Prime Minister's Commendation' by achieving the highest score in the public sector at the '2023 Sustainable Management Meritorious Government Awards' ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

Jin Gyu-ho, Executive Vice President of Busan Port Authority (center), is receiving the Prime Minister's Commendation for Sustainable Management Achievement 2023.

Following 2021, BPA also published a sustainability management report in 2022 reflecting ESG management activities and achievements, K-ESG guideline level diagnosis, and global initiatives.

It was honored with the award in recognition of its contribution to spreading and developing the ESG management culture in the shipping and port sectors by transparently disclosing management information to various stakeholders.

Starting with the declaration of ESG management between labor and management in May 2021, BPA jointly declared ESG management with 10 container terminal operators in October last year, and in December of the same year, signed ESG management agreements with major port construction companies.

This year, BPA has focused on promoting and establishing an ESG management culture throughout the port logistics industry by holding ESG management seminars with key partners and operating autonomous learning organizations (CoP).

Additionally, BPA is implementing various environmental policies to achieve carbon neutrality at Busan Port by 2050, including the transition to eco-friendly handling equipment, operation of the Vessel Speed Reduction (VSR) program, activation of the Alternative Maritime Power (AMP) system, utilization of recycled aggregates, and establishment of climate crisis adaptation measures.

BPA is also committed to revitalizing the local economy through supporting the innovative growth of regional SMEs for job creation at Busan Port, efforts to guarantee human rights of customers and stakeholders, and win-win cooperation to solve regional issues.

BPA has concentrated on transparent management to enhance public trust, achieving top grades in the comprehensive integrity evaluation conducted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, obtaining international standard certifications for anti-corruption (ISO 37001) and compliance management (ISO 37301), and receiving the highest rating in the comprehensive information disclosure evaluation.

Busan Port Authority’s ESG activities have been highly evaluated, earning this year the ▲Korea Logistics Award ‘Presidential Commendation’ ▲Prime Minister’s Commendation for excellence in comprehensive integrity ▲Grand Prize in the comprehensive category of the Korea Sustainable Management Awards hosted by the Korean Academic Society of Business Administration.

At the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) World Conference, BPA ranked first in the infrastructure category of the Sustainability Awards, surpassing excellent ports worldwide, gaining global recognition for its ESG management achievements.

BPA President Kang Jun-seok stated, “Busan Port is a national critical facility where over 180,000 workers make their livelihoods, and sustainable management is the Authority’s natural role and mission,” adding, “We will focus more on sustainable management activities to move toward a better Busan Port through communication and cooperation with various stakeholders.”

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