Korea Ocean Business Corp. earns Level 2 sustainable human rights management certification for first time

Korea Ocean Business Corp. announced Wednesday that it has received the Sustainable Business and Human Rights certification at Level 2 for the first time since its establishment.

The certification evaluates companies and institutions on their human rights management systems and actual implementation, based on international and domestic standards including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark. Korea Ocean Business Corp. received the certification from Korea ESG Data, a specialized assessment body, in recognition of its grievance and remedy mechanisms for human rights violations and its efforts to build an organizational culture that respects human rights.

The Level 2 designation goes beyond verifying whether a human rights management framework is in place — it also assesses whether that framework is functioning within the organization and examines concrete operational outcomes. The corporation was recognized for advancing beyond Level 1, which evaluates the establishment of a human rights management system, to the stage of substantive implementation.

Particularly noted in the assessment was the corporation's independent remedy system, designed to protect victims of human rights violations and ensure they receive meaningful redress.

The corporation said it plans to use the certification as an opportunity to embed human rights management more deeply across its overall operations, rather than treating it as a separate activity. It also intends to extend the scope of human rights protections beyond its own employees to include partner companies and key stakeholders, contributing to the broader spread of human rights management practices across the maritime industry.