KEPCO Wins Grand Prize at Prestigious ICA Compliance Awards, Becoming First Korean Company to Receive the Honor

Grand Prize in Culture & Ethics Initiative at Inaugural APAC Awards
Achievements in Compliance and Ethical Management Recognized After Kim Dongcheol’s Appointment as President

Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has become the first Korean company to win the grand prize at the "2026 ICA Compliance Awards Asia Pacific (APAC)," the most prestigious awards ceremony in the field of global compliance management.

On July 27, KEPCO announced that it received the grand prize in the "Culture & Ethics Initiative of the Year" category at the 2026 ICA Compliance Awards APAC, hosted by the International Compliance Association (ICA). KEPCO was the only Korean company to be named a finalist in two categories—"Culture & Ethics" and "Compliance Team"—and ultimately won the grand prize in the "Culture & Ethics" category.

The ICA is a global compliance organization with a network in 155 countries, and has traditionally hosted its awards ceremonies in Europe. This year, for the first time, it established the APAC Awards with the same evaluation standards as those used in Europe, aiming to set compliance management benchmarks in the Asia-Pacific region. The awards are regarded as highly prestigious, with participation from global companies such as Microsoft, Meta, Shell, and Barclays.

KEPCO explained that this award recognizes its integrity and ethical management capabilities at a level on par with previous recipients of the ICA Compliance Awards Europe, such as Inditex (the parent company of ZARA) and Zurich Insurance Group.

Since the appointment of President Kim Dongcheol in 2023, KEPCO has established a direct-reporting "Compliance Management Office" under the president and has pushed for company-wide innovations to promote a culture of integrity, ethics, and strengthened internal controls. Initiatives such as field-oriented ethics training, employee participation compliance campaigns, and direct communication from the CEO have been highly praised by the judging panel for embedding ethics management into the organization’s culture.

Kim Dongcheol, President of KEPCO, said, "It is meaningful that the collective efforts toward integrity, ethical management, and strengthened internal controls by all executives and employees have been recognized by a world-class compliance institution and global experts. Taking this award as an opportunity, we aim to position ourselves not only as Korea’s leading public company but also as a global leader in integrity and ethical management, earning the trust of the world."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.