SK Telecom named UN Global Compact LEAD company for 2027
SK Telecom store in Seoul / Korea Times file
SK Telecom has been named a 2027 LEAD company by the UN Global Compact (UNGC) Network Korea in recognition of its sustainability leadership, the mobile carrier said Tuesday.
The company received the designation at the 2026 Korea Leaders Summit, which the network hosted at Grand Hyatt Seoul.
The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, launched by the United Nations in 2000. It encourages companies to build principles on human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption into their operations.
Each year, the Korean network chooses about 10 companies and institutions as LEAD participants from its roughly 360 members. The selections recognize contributions to spreading sustainability management and developing the country’s ESG ecosystem. ESG stands for environmental, social and governance, the standards used to measure a company’s sustainability and ethical practices.
SK Telecom co-chairs the network’s environment working group. In that role, it shared its experience handling major ESG issues and its know-how in building ESG management systems. The company also presented examples of how it applies artificial intelligence (AI) to ESG work, helping other members strengthen their own use of AI.
Um Jong-hwan, head of SK Telecom’s sustainability management office, delivered a talk at the summit, where he introduced ways the company uses AI to improve energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions from AI infrastructure.
SK Telecom pursues environmental management in two directions, which it calls “AI for decarbonization” and “decarbonization for AI.” It uses AI-based power-saving technology on its telecom network and is working to run its data centers more efficiently.
“The energy transition and decarbonization require cooperation among various stakeholders, including companies, governments and financial institutions,” Um said. “We will share our experience and know-how with UNGC members and link AI innovation with environmental management to strengthen the foundation for sustainable growth.”
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.