Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, said on May 18, "Achieving measurable performance in society, the environment and public goods should be the basis of Korea-U.S. relations."
Chey made the remarks in a welcoming speech at a seminar marking the publication of a joint report on the Korea-U.S. alliance between the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
CSIS, located in Washington, is an international relations and policy strategic think tank.
"It's something you should keep in mind today," Chey said, referring to Harvard Professor Joseph Nye's paper on the concept of "kindleberger trap."
The concept is that the international system could collapse as soon as a powerful country that supplies global public goods (such as international security and financial stability) fails to supply public goods.
"The U.S. and China should not fall into this trap, nor should they give in to protectionism," he said. "We need to do our part as a supplier of global public goods."
"We can't just rely on big powers, but participants have to play their roles," he said. "We are jointly responsible for maintaining Korea-U.S. relations and promoting industrial technology cooperation and strengthening cultural ties."
Chey also said that the role of ESG (environmental, social, governance) management is very important in Korea-U.S. relations. "Businesses provide essential goods such as public health, infrastructure and energy," he said. "It's a factor in carbon dioxide emissions and it's also an advance in environmental protection."
"The earth is the ultimate public good," he said. "SK defines these responsibilities through the prism of environment, society, and governance, and revolutionizes its business to optimize the steps we take."
"SK is removing carbon from its energy portfolio and building a new hydrogen economy," he said.
Meanwhile, Chey will accompany the South Korea-U.S. summit on May 21 as a member of the economic delegation. Chairman Choi, who is also in charge of the Korea Chamber of Commerce, plans to meet and interact with U.S. political and business figures during his visit to the U.S. It is heard that he is also planning to visit SK's battery plant in Georgia.
