KT&G与韩国林业厅、AFoCO签署森林修复ESG合作备忘录

KT&G has joined hands with the Korea Forest Service and the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) to restore domestic forests damaged by wildfires. The company plans to pursue climate change response and ecosystem recovery through public-private cooperation.
KT&G said on the 27th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Forest Service and AFoCO on cooperation for domestic forest restoration and forest-based ESG management at its Seoul office on the 24th of this month. The signing ceremony was attended by KT&G Senior Executive Vice President Lee Sang-hak, Korea Forest Service Deputy Minister Lim Ha-soo, and AFoCO Deputy Secretary-General Jin Sun-pil.
Under the agreement, KT&G will pursue forest restoration by planting 75,000 trees of species suited to local ecosystems over the next five years, targeting about 150,000 square meters (15 hectares) of national and public forest damaged by wildfires. Even after planting, the company plans to conduct systematic follow-up management, including monitoring, so that the afforestation can take root stably.
The restoration project will also utilize KT&G's ESG (environmental, social and governance) program 'Imagination Forest.' The plan is to create forests in a manner where employees and local communities participate together, linking the company's environmental management practices with natural capital conservation.
Building on this agreement, the three organizations plan to expand cooperation not only in restoring wildfire-damaged areas but also in sustainable forest management, including forest-based climate change response, ecosystem recovery, biodiversity enhancement, and building cooperation networks with domestic and international forest-related institutions.
"This will be a meaningful case of viewing forests as natural capital and linking them with corporate ESG management, beyond restoring wildfire-damaged areas," said Korea Forest Service Deputy Minister Lim Ha-soo. "We will pursue various cooperative projects to expand private investment in natural capital."
"It carries great significance in that companies, public institutions, and international organizations are jointly pursuing forest restoration and environmental conservation," said KT&G Senior Executive Vice President Lee Sang-hak. "We will continue to strive to contribute to creating a sustainable forest ecosystem and practicing substantive ESG management."
Based on its environmental management vision '2030 KT&G Green Impact,' KT&G is pursuing various ESG activities for climate change response and the transition to a circular economy.