[Senior Reporter Park Jong-il] Seoul Energy Corp. (president Hwangbo Yeon) has received the Ministry of Employment and Labor minister's award at the "Most Influential CEO Awards" in recognition of its contributions to eco-friendly energy transition and social value creation through ESG management.
Seoul Energy Corp. treats ESG not merely as a management strategy but as a core organizational value, embedding ESG principles into its corporate vision and building a company-wide ESG management framework. It has established governance structures — including a CEO-led Energy Policy Committee and an ESG Management Committee — that incorporate ESG values into major policy decisions and overall management.
This ESG-driven approach gave rise to the company's signature business model: an "ESG Open Testbed" program. Through the initiative, Seoul Energy Corp. opens its energy infrastructure to innovative companies in the eco-friendly and renewable energy sectors, supporting technology demonstration and commercialization. It is also working with the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) to advance on-site demonstration of carbon neutrality technologies.
Participating companies gain the demonstration data needed for market entry — including green certification — while Seoul Energy Corp. creates a virtuous cycle by applying innovative technologies to its own energy facilities.
On the environmental front, the company has leveraged the testbed platform to pilot a range of clean technologies at its power generation facilities, including carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and solar technologies, building a low-carbon operating framework.
Seoul Energy Corp. has also consistently upgraded its nitrogen oxide reduction equipment — including flue gas recirculation (FGR) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems — cutting nitrogen oxide emissions at its facilities by 11 percent against the allocated limit. The reductions represent tangible progress toward carbon neutrality for the public energy company.
The company has also focused on building a demand-centered energy welfare system that citizens can feel directly. Earlier this year, it introduced an "Ontong Welfare Service" that automatically maintains support once a single application is submitted, improving the convenience of welfare administration.
Alongside this, it has worked to minimize gaps in welfare coverage through home visits for elderly residents and a year-round application system. It also expanded the heating bill support rate for people with severe disabilities, strengthening energy welfare for vulnerable groups.
Seoul Energy Corp. has continued to pursue broader social value creation. It has consistently expanded purchases of products made by workers with severe disabilities, contributing to job creation and the growth of the social economy. It also operates a local food direct-trade market in Wanju-gun using idle space, connecting local farms with city residents and building an urban-rural coexistence model — all part of its commitment to ESG management that grows alongside the community.
The company obtained ISO 37001 anti-bribery management system certification and improved its rate of original-document disclosure, establishing a transparent and accountable management framework. Through company-wide financial management and operational innovation, it also recorded a net profit for the period for the first time since its founding, laying the groundwork for sustainable growth.
"This award recognizes the results of our consistent efforts to internalize ESG across our organizational culture and management, and to advance eco-friendly energy transition and social value creation," said Hwangbo, president of Seoul Energy Corp. "We will continue to build a sustainable energy future through ESG management that citizens can experience firsthand."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
