Arirang TV CEO pursues 'Global CSR'

Lee Seung-youl, CEO of Arirang TV / Courtesy of Arirang TV

By Park Ji-won

State-run TV Arirang CEO Lee Seung-youl pledged to take an active role to promote Korea as part of its global corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign.

“A private company conducts CSR to improve the reputation and brand of the company. Ultimately, many companies expect an increase in profit. On the other hand, Arirang TV is different from other private companies since it tries to seek the public interest by burnishing Korea's image in the international community,” Lee told The Korea Times.

Lee is putting forth the idea of “Global CSR,” which aims to pursue the public interest, as a vision for the state-run English TV station. The company is especially active in seeking collaboration with international and local organizations to broadcast the value of humanity and multiculturalism. In addition to that, CSR activities are necessary to encourage people to think that the company is trustworthy he noted.

“Arirang has been producing and broadcasting content related to global issues set by the U.N., such as climate change, human rights and equality, which are part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Through this content, Arirang has been trying to accomplish social goals at a global level … Now, calls for CSR have grown more than ever, and more companies list harmony and balance as their core values. Many private companies have the perception that CSR is essential for a company's credibility and value,” he said.

Lee also stressed that the company played a key role in letting international viewers learn about quarantine measures imposed by the government from the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak.

“Also, we explained that Arirang has been playing an important role in promoting the country's world-class response to COVID-19 for international viewers since February. After South Korea joined the WHO executive committee Arirang has served as a medium to promote 'K-quarantine' for government officials and viewers around the world,” Lee added.

The CEO said the network is delivering government briefings, news reports and broadcasts every day.

The company is trying to expand its businesses and establish a comprehensive plan to share its philosophy on CSR activities.

“Arirang's next goal is to propose a comprehensive plan to conduct CSR campaigns in the future… At the same time, Arirang will establish and conduct new campaigns with Arirang's vision and philosophy that everyone can empathize with,” Lee said.

To realize the initiative, he added that the company opened a CSR website for international viewers to see all of Arirang TV's CSR activities. “Through active communication with our audience, Arirang TV is trying to become a good CSR model as a representative international broadcasting station in Korea,” Lee concluded.