‘ESG Management and Climate Tech Business’ 2023 ESG Lecture Series Successfully Completed 

The fourth lecture of the 2023 ESG Lecture Series, hosted by the KUBS ESG Research Institute (Director: Lee Jae Hyuk), took place on Tuesday, October 31st at 2 p.m. in the LG POSCO Business Building. The series aimed to share key topics related to ESG in domestic companies and industries by inviting top scholars in the ESG field, discussing practical approaches for both academia and industry. For the recent lecture, Kim Dohyung, a specialist in environmental regulation at Hwawoo Law Firm and Park Ranhee, the CEO of Impact On were invited as guest lecturers. Director Lee Jae Hyuk stated, “The purpose of inviting practitioners from various fields though the ESG Lecture Series is to introduce real-world professionals to undergraduate students.”  

Kim Dohyung discussed "Domestic and International ESG Policy Trends and Challenges" in his lecture. He emphasized the need for formulating resource circulation policies as a solution to the evaluation that domestic climate change response indices are regressive. Kim suggested that addressing climate change through a circular economy policy can be a solution. He highlighted the importance of achieving both industrial development and job creation simultaneously through the Green New Deal, emphasizing that ESG policies can succeed based on a sustainable profit generation foundation for companies. Kim also stressed the necessity for companies to disclose strategies and plans considering climate crisis scenarios, as all disclosures ultimately lead to the impact of climate change. He stated, "Today, small businesses strengthen ESG demands from their trading partners, selecting partners based on this." Kim highlighted “In ESG management, the environment is very important, and detailed support beyond government macro policies is essential for small and medium-sized enterprises to feel practical effects.” 

The second lecture was conducted by Park Ranhee, CEO of the ESG-specialized online media ‘Impact On,’ who spoke on the topic “Climate Tech Changes Business” for an hour. Park Ranhee mentioned the various risks associated with climate tech, requiring longer time and big capital compared to general investments. Therefore, despite the worldwide mention of carbon neutrality, many global companies do not foresee the decline of petroleum-based businesses and continue to expand their business scale. Park said, “South Korea needs to consider various social issues that may arise during the industrial transition process and contemplate solutions.” She also said, “There are many voices casting doubt on whether recent ESG-related trends will continue” and added, “Even if there is a wind of anti-ESF, the individual components of ESG are increasing, so businesses will continue to formulate business strategies reflecting ESG elements.”