◎ Proposal Purpose and Key Issues
- Proposal Purpose
Digital technology serves as a driving force for convenience and innovation in modern society, but at the same time, it has a duality of deepening the digital divide for socially vulnerable groups and specific classes. This gap limits access to information, economic activities, and opportunities for social participation, and contains the risk of solidifying polarization over time.
In particular, not only socially vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with disabilities, but even the younger generation, considered digital natives, are being divided into ‘active users’ and ‘marginalized groups’ depending on technology, education and environment. This issue is bringing renewed attention to the social responsibility that internet companies inherently possess.
Kakao recognizes these social changes and is designing and operating practical programs to bridge the technology gap for socially vulnerable groups and nurture young talent by utilizing the company’s technological assets and capabilities.
This workshop is designed to discuss how internet companies can implement mutual growth and pursue both sustainable social value and economic value in parallel, centered on Kakao’s ESG practice direction of ‘solving social problems through technology.’ Enhancing digital inclusiveness and realizing equality of opportunity through technology goes beyond the ethical mission of individual companies and is directly connected to the sustainability of Korea’s internet ecosystem as a whole. From this perspective, the workshop will examine through case analysis how internet companies, centered on Kakao’s examples, are concretizing the realization of ESG values by embracing socially vulnerable groups and nurturing future talent.
2. Case Analysis : Kakao
2.1. Kakao’s Efforts to Bridge the Technology Gap
Visiting Senior Digital School: Kakao operates free educational programs across the country to enhance the digital capabilities of the elderly. This program provides education on digital skills needed in daily life, such as smartphone usage, financial fraud prevention, and digital ID verification.
2.2. Kakao’s Programs for Talent Development
Kakao Tech Campus: A developer training program conducted online in collaboration with regional universities, offering credit recognition and contributing to the growth of regional talent and balanced regional development.
Kakao Tech Bootcamp: In cooperation with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, it provides practice-oriented developer education with the goal of creating a sustainable development ecosystem.
Tech for Impact: A program organized by Kakao Impact that connects students with non-profit organizations to develop technological solutions for solving social problems.
Kakao Track: Through industry-academia collaboration, it provides education on skills needed in practice and is recognized as a customized program for nurturing IT professionals.
2.3. ESG Management and Mutual Growth Slogan
Publication of ESG Reports: Kakao transparently discloses its achievements and plans in the areas of environment, society, and governance through annual ESG reports.
Mutual Growth Slogan ‘Closer Together, Kakao’: Kakao emphasizes mutual growth with various stakeholders including partners, creators, and future talent, aiming to create a better future together through technology.
3. Discussion Topics
- What impact does it have from an ESG perspective when internet companies take the lead in solving social problems centered on ‘technology’?
- What ESG direction should internet companies pursue from the perspective of ‘mutual growth’?
- From the perspective of ‘sustainability,’ what correlation exists between the realization of social value through ESG and corporate growth?
Presenter: Hyunok Kwon, Mutual Cooperation Leader, Kakao
Moderator: Youngkyun Jeon, Senior Manager of Social Cooperation, Kakao
Panelists: – Kyoungmi Oh, Researcher, OpenNet – Jungmin Lee, Team Leader, KISA – Sun-min Jeon, Associate Research Fellow, KISDI – Jungmo Sung, Senior, School of International Trade, Kwangwoon University
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