[Asia Economy Reporter So-yeon Park] Jin Seung-ho, President of Korea Investment Corporation (KIC), emphasized that "ESG has become a prevailing trend of the era, significantly impacting corporate management and investment overall," and stated, "Impact investing, which intentionally invests to create social value, changes the nature and paradigm of traditional investments."
On the 30th, KIC co-hosted the 'ESG and Beyond: Creating Investment Opportunities' conference with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Korea office at the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.
In his opening remarks, Jin Seung-ho, President of KIC, said, "This event is especially meaningful as it is the first ESG conference jointly hosted by Korea’s sovereign wealth fund and an international financial institution," adding, "With top experts in ESG and impact investing gathered here, I hope this productive discussion will create synergy and serve as an opportunity to further expand responsible investing."
The conference saw participation from domestic public sector investors such as the National Pension Service, Korea Eximbank, Korea Trade Insurance Corporation, and KDB Industrial Bank, as well as global asset management firms and financial institutions including Blackstone, BlackRock, Carlyle, Macquarie, and HSBC. Numerous domestic and international ESG-related organizations such as the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), and Sustainalytics also took part.
Additionally, leading responsible investment experts including Neil Gregory, IFC Chief Leadership Officer; Eric Rice, Head of Impact Investing at BlackRock; and Megan Starr, Head of Impact Investing at Carlyle Group, were present. Attendees shared experiences from leading domestic and international institutions on ESG investment.
They engaged in lively discussions on sustainable investment and the future of capital markets, covering topics such as climate change response and mitigation measures, green bond investments, and alternative investments leveraging ESG.
Neil Gregory, IFC Chief Leadership Officer and the first session moderator, presented on 'ESG and Impact Investing,' introducing the principles of impact investing and discussing the potential growth and outlook of the related market.
In the following session, representatives from Korean financial investment institutions including Park Dae-yang, CIO of KIC Investment Management Division; Lee Dong-hoon, Head of Capital Markets at Korea Eximbank; and Baek Seung-dal, Vice President of Korea Trade Insurance Corporation, along with Eric Rice, Global Head of Impact Investing at BlackRock, and Andrew Kuper, Founder and CEO of Leapfrog Investments, discussed their practical experiences managing ESG-related investment portfolios and the development direction of impact principles.
Other active discussions took place in sessions covering 'Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation,' addressing challenges and investment opportunities arising from climate change; 'Green Bond Investment Opportunities,' introducing challenges and investment prospects for the green bond ecosystem; 'ESG and Alternative Investments,' reviewing the latest trends in the alternative investment market; and 'ESG, Stakeholder Capitalism, and Impact Enhancement.'
Alfonso Garcia Mora, IFC Vice President for Asia-Pacific, stated, "Institutional investors such as pension funds, which hold 900 times more capital than development finance institutions, view climate finance in developing countries as an opportunity to contribute to climate goals," adding, "Korean investors are strengthening their climate strategies to align with the government’s new carbon neutrality targets, and these collective efforts can help generate greater impact."
Vice President Garcia Mora also said, "We are ready to leverage our expertise and network to support Korean investors in expanding ESG and impact investing both domestically and internationally." Since 2019, KIC has held the annual 'KIC ESG Day' to discuss global ESG investment strategies with domestic public sector institutional investors. This year, by co-hosting with the international financial institution IFC, the event expanded its participants to include global institutional investors, domestic and international financial investment institutions, and ESG specialized companies. The event was conducted in a hybrid format, combining online and offline participation in accordance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines.
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