Korea Airports Corporation Wins Top ESG Policy Award for Supporting SMEs and People with Mobility Challenges

Opened technology testing spaces in Cheongju and Gimhae
Introduced Korea's first integrated self-check-in kiosk
Pursuing efforts to prevent lonely deaths and expand stay-based workation programs

Korea Airports Corporation has been recognized for using airport infrastructure nationwide to support the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises and improve accessibility for people with mobility challenges.

Lee Seongmin, acting head of the ESG Management Office at Korea Airports Corporation (center), poses for a commemorative photo after receiving an award at the 5th Korea ESG Innovation Policy Awards, held on the 15th at the Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute in Sejong Special Self-Governing City. Korea Airports Corporation

Korea Airports Corporation said on the 15th that it had received the top award in the social category at the 5th Korea ESG Innovation Policy Awards ceremony, hosted by the Korean Association for Policy Studies at the Korea Arboreta and Gardens Management Institute in Sejong City.

The Korea ESG Innovation Policy Awards are presented annually by the Korean Association for Policy Studies, a leading academic organization in policy and public administration in Korea, to recognize innovative environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies and exemplary practices at public institutions.

The corporation has consistently carried out projects to create social value, using its 14 airports nationwide as regional hubs. Judges gave high marks to its achievements in fostering small and medium-sized enterprises, guaranteeing mobility rights for people with mobility challenges, and addressing local issues in collaboration with local governments.

Specifically, the corporation has made spaces such as the parking lot at Cheongju Airport and the passenger terminal at Gimhae Airport available for small and medium-sized enterprises to test their technologies. It has also helped them find sales channels by supporting priority-purchase contracts for their products and holding export consultation events. For people with mobility challenges, it provides wheelchair power-assist kits for loan, sign language interpretation for people with hearing impairments, and tactile maps for people with visual impairments. In particular, it was the first in Korea to introduce a self-check-in kiosk that combines accessible and standard models, making check-in more convenient.

In addition, the corporation formed working-level consultative bodies with local governments and welfare foundations to help address community issues, including preventing lonely deaths among people living alone and supporting the self-reliance of employment-vulnerable groups. To invigorate local economies, it also launched stay-based workation programs and worked to bring local specialty brands into airport locations.

Kim Wonjun, president of Korea Airports Corporation, said, "We will continue to create meaningful results across all areas of ESG that provide tangible benefits to local communities, so that we can build better airports that are more loved and trusted by the public."

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