By Cho Mu-hyun

SK Telecom said Monday that it will follow international standards in corporate social responsibility in a bid to ensure business sustainability and become a global player.

Unveiling its Sustainability Report, the nation’s leading mobile carrier pledged it will fully comply with the blueprint set by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) to boost the sustainability of global businesses in the midst of emerging, diverse and complex crises and opportunities.

The U.N.’s Leadership Blueprint is followed by 56 companies worldwide, while SK Telecom plans to present the results of its activities to a forum in Brazil in June.

The company has been a member of the UNGC since 2007, and has been releasing the annual report from that date.

The firm also promised to follow the Ruggie Guiding Principle proposed by Harvard University professor John Ruggie and approved by the U.N. Council last June.

“SK Telecom possesses a strong portfolio across the information and communication technology industry including telecommunications and aims to evolve into a company that continuously creates new value through synergy between individual areas,” company CEO Ha Sung-min was quoted as saying in the report.

“As a U.N. Global Compact signatory, the firm will listen intently to the demands of various stakeholders, both domestic and foreign, and reflect global-level demands for corporate social responsibility.”

While boasting it’s the “biggest telecommunications company in Korea,” the firm set out to say that it had projects in China, Vietnam and the United States, among others.

SK announced in the report that it considers customer relationship management, partnerships, community involvement, corporate ethics and environmental management as five key challenges to maintain and promote its business.

It noted that abuse and leaks of customer information are future discussion topics, saying it will create a convenient, safe service environment through preemptive customer privacy activities.