Gyeonggi Province and KOTRA Join Forces to Promote ESG Management in SMEs

[Suwon Ilbo = Reporter Kim Gab-dong] Gyeonggi Province has joined hands with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) to promote ESG management in small and medium enterprises.

On the 30th, the Province signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with KOTRA for "activating ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) management in SMEs" at Seohee Hall of Gyeonggi Provincial Government, with attendance from Kim Sung-joong, Executive Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, Lee Hee-sang, Vice President of KOTRA, and 14 other officials.

The MOU signed on this day aims to support small and medium enterprises in establishing sustainability and export competitiveness through ESG management. The two organizations plan to establish a cooperative framework to enhance companies' global response capabilities.

Under the agreement, the two organizations will pursue cooperative projects in a total of four sectors: △preferential KOTRA export support services for ESG-excellent SMEs, △customized ESG consulting for materials, parts, and equipment (MPE) companies, △cooperation in ESG manager training programs, and △support for ISO certification acquisition for KOTRA member SMEs.

Kim Sung-joong, Executive Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, said at the MOU signing ceremony, "ESG is now no longer a choice but an essential requirement for corporate survival and sustainability," and added, "We will actively support SMEs to seize ESG as a new opportunity by combining KOTRA's export support capabilities with Gyeonggi Province's policy implementation capacity."

In addition to KOTRA, the Province plans to strengthen cooperation with ESG specialized agencies such as the Small and Medium Business Administration, and newly implement ESG management consulting targeting social economy organizations and social welfare institutions to further expand the scope of support.

Meanwhile, the SME ESG management support project, which will be promoted from April to October this year, can be applied for through the Gyeonggi Province Economic Science and Innovation Promotion Agency or the Easy Biz website. Specific details including project targets, application methods, and schedules will be provided sequentially through announcements.