City Council 5-Minute Speech Request
Proposal for Citizen ESG Movement
Park Jong-pil, a member of the Daegu Metropolitan Council (People Power Party, proportional representation), plans to emphasize the importance of ESG management during a 5-minute free speech at the 2nd plenary session of the 313th regular meeting on the 28th. He will urge Daegu City and the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education to play an active role in building an ESG ecosystem involving the private sector, public sector, and civil society.
ESG, which stands for Environment, Society, and Governance, refers to non-financial performance indicators such as eco-friendly management, social responsibility, and transparent governance, which are considered important factors in corporate evaluation. Recently, as “sustainable development” has become a priority, ESG has become a global issue.
Notably, the EU, which is South Korea’s fifth-largest trading partner, plans to enforce the “Supply Chain Due Diligence Act” with ESG regulations starting July 2027. In the future, ESG management will be required not only for many large domestic companies but also for medium and small suppliers within the same supply chain. Furthermore, ESG management is expanding to the government, local governments, public institutions, and civil society.
The “Supply Chain Due Diligence Act” is the “Corporate Sustainable Supply Chain Due Diligence Directive” (CSDDD) enacted by the European Union (EU), officially effective from July 25, 2024, and enforced from July 2027. It is one of the ESG regulations emphasizing environment, society, and governance. Companies must conduct due diligence on risk factors negatively affecting human rights and the environment, such as life, safety, labor rights, soil, water, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, take preventive and corrective measures, monitor the results, and disclose them.
Councilor Park Jong-pil of Daegu Metropolitan Council is preparing policy proposals including urging Daegu City to provide multifaceted support to activate ESG management in the private sector, urging Daegu City and the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education to lead public ESG management, and proposing a citizen ESG movement to encourage citizen participation in ESG.
In the 5-minute speech materials distributed in advance, Councilor Park stated, “From the perspective of companies, ESG is a matter of survival, but about 73% of local companies lacking human and material resources do not practice ESG management. They cited lack of expertise, cost burden, and insufficient support systems as difficulties,” and added, “Daegu City must implement multifaceted support policies for companies struggling with ESG management.”
He continued, “Now, public sector ESG, which acts as a link connecting the private sector and civil society, is not optional but essential,” and said, “To successfully establish ESG, Daegu City and the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education should lead ESG management through carbon neutrality practices, strengthening workplace safety management, and ethical management with integrity, together with their affiliated institutions.”
Finally, Councilor Park emphasized, “Only with active participation from citizens can a proper ESG ecosystem be established,” and stated, “I will propose a citizen ESG movement that allows citizens to actively participate through cultural and sports events.” He also stressed the importance of preparing various educational programs so that students can learn and experience ESG in educational settings that nurture future citizens, and plans to call for the active participation of the Office of Education.
Meanwhile, Councilor Park is preparing to amend the “Daegu Metropolitan City ESG Management Activation Support Ordinance,” which aims to expand the participation of public institutions in ESG management.
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