Amidst the growing global climate crisis and the increasing emphasis on corporate social responsibility, Dr. Kwak Mu-seon, an engineering Ph.D. who is at the forefront of spreading ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), is garnering attention. Having received degrees from Saitama National University and Chuo University in Japan, he currently serves as an ESG executive at a domestic company and disseminates ESG values through the Future Education Academy Lab (FEALab), which he established last year.
After collapsing from overwork in 2019, Dr. Kwak established a non-profit research institute with the determination to "dedicate his life to humanity." The institute aims for children's sex education and ESG values. Following the Goyang City ESG Seminar and the Busan 'Biodiversity Conservation and DMZ Ecological Unification' Seminar in 2023, it will host an international seminar in Jeju on September 1st under the theme 'Jeju's Water Light Energy, Connecting Marine Ecology.'
He stated, "ESG is the core of corporate sustainability and survival," and emphasized, "Protecting the biodiversity system is the founding principle of the research institute." Modeling himself after Professor Choi Jae-cheon of Ewha Womans University, he stresses the value of coexisting with nature beyond economic logic. Dr. Kwak warned about the importance of responding to the climate crisis, saying, "Ignoring ESG can make you an outsider in the international community."
Recounting an anecdote from last year's Global ESG Forum where an Ethiopian minister requested Korea's water technology, he said, "ESG has the power to open even impossible doors." He also mentioned cases of domestic companies exploring entry into Africa as a result.
Born in Yeongyang County, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Dr. Kwak devoted himself to his studies as a government-sponsored international student during his studies in Japan. He received his doctoral degree after answering in his dissertation defense, "I will become a leader who nurtures talent." He reflected on his experience of working to foster junior researchers, saying, "Humble leadership is the true meaning of a Ph.D."
Dr. Kwak emphasized, "ESG management requires a mindset of protecting nature and saving the Earth," cautioning against it being reduced to a means of making money. At the upcoming Jeju seminar, he plans to discuss biodiversity conservation in cooperation with the IUCN Korea Committee and intends to expand his activities overseas, including Africa, in 2024. In particular, he expressed his ambition to establish the DMZ ecosystem as an international conservation model and to promote Korean natural culture by planting Korean fir trees in Tanzania.
He urged the government to "create an environment that shares good technology, so that the true value of ESG can be realized," and pledged, "Just as we are trying to save the Han River otter, I will plant Korean fir trees in Tanzania." Dr. Kwak Mu-seon's actions present a blueprint for a sustainable future through ESG.
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