ARKO Holds "2025 Culture and Arts Institution ESG Meetup Day"

The Korea Arts Council (ARKO) announced on the 17th that it held the "2025 Culture and Arts Institution ESG Meetup Day" at the Artist House Lounge in Daehak-ro, Seoul, on the 15th.

During the event, the ESG Working Group for culture and arts institutions, which has been operating since 2022, marked its fourth year by sharing its achievements. The group also unveiled and reviewed the Culture and Arts Institution ESG Indicators for the first time, which are the culmination of this year’s activities. Around 70 participants, including members of the ESG Working Group and representatives from culture and arts institutions, attended the event.

Group photo of participants in the 4th ESG Working Group at the Culture and Arts Institution ESG Meetup Day [Photo by Korea Arts Council]

In the first part of the event, the progress of the ESG Working Group was presented, and a draft of the "Culture and Arts Institution ESG Indicators" was released. Three outstanding participating institutions also announced their plans for applying the indicators.

In the second part, Choi Ji-won, Secretary General of the Climate Change Center and a member of the ARKO ESG Management Committee, and Jung Woon-yong, Director of the Institute for Social Responsibility and Ethics, offered recommendations on the ESG management direction for culture and arts institutions. This was followed by an in-depth discussion on the field’s perspectives and the practical use of the indicators, with expert panelists such as Lee Ki-hwan, CEO of WithValue, Kim Hyun-jin, CEO of ESGPro, and participants from the fourth ESG Working Group.

At the awards ceremony, three outstanding institutions from the fourth ESG Working Group-Gwangju Cultural Foundation, Chuncheon Cultural Foundation, and Dongdaemun Cultural Foundation-were recognized for their achievements in ESG practices.

Jung Byung-guk, Chairman of ARKO, stated, "The Culture and Arts Institution ESG Meetup Day is a meaningful occasion to share the accumulated experience from the field and the achievements in developing the ESG indicators for culture and arts institutions, as well as to confirm their practical applicability. I hope that the culture and arts sector will come together to practice ESG management and create a sustainable future."