SK Telecom named UN Global Compact LEAD company for 2027
Summary
SK Telecom was named a 2027 LEAD company by the UN Global Compact Network Korea for its sustainability leadership at the 2026 Korea Leaders Summit in Seoul. The company shared its ESG management experience and examples of using AI in sustainability work. SK Telecom’s sustainability management office head, Um Jong-hwan, described how the company applies AI to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions from AI infrastructure. The company says it pursues both using AI for decarbonization and reducing the environmental impact of AI.
Key Facts
- The UN Global Compact was launched by the United Nations in 2000 and promotes corporate principles on human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption.
- UNGC Network Korea selects about 10 LEAD participants each year from roughly 360 members.
- SK Telecom co-chairs the network’s environment working group and shared its experience addressing ESG issues and building ESG management systems.
- The company uses AI-based power-saving technology on its telecom network and is working to operate its data centers more efficiently.
- Um Jong-hwan said decarbonization requires cooperation among companies, governments and financial institutions.
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.
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