Hite Jinro steps up ESG efforts with beach cleanups, welfare vehicle donations

Hite Jinro said it has continued its ESG (environmental, social and governance) activities in the fourth quarter of this year, including a beach cleanup on Jeju Island, vehicle donations to social welfare organizations and a group-wide ethical management declaration.

On Oct. 22, the company held its fourth environmental cleanup of the year at Dakmeoru Coast in Jeju. About 60 people took part — including employees from Hite Jinro's headquarters and Jeju branch, as well as officials from the Jeju Regional Coast Guard, Jeju Ara Community Welfare Center and Korea Electric Power Corporation's Jeju headquarters — collecting and sorting household waste along the shoreline and surrounding areas. Across all four sessions this year, roughly 170 participants gathered about 4.5 tons of trash. The initiative began in 2020 at Pyoseon Beach in Jeju before moving to Dakmeoru Coast in 2023, and since 2024 the company has carried it out in partnership with external organizations. Hite Jinro said it conducts the cleanup every quarter.

On the social front, the company has run a vehicle support program for 12 consecutive years since 2015. The program aims to improve mobility for vulnerable groups who have difficulty getting around and to help social welfare organizations deliver their services. It is funded by donations from Hite Jinro, Hite Jinro Holdings and players who participate in the Hite Jinro Championship. On Oct. 27, the company handed over Kia Ray minicars to 10 social welfare organizations nationwide at its Seocho office in Seoul. Including a Kia Carnival van donated earlier this year, the total for 2026 stands at 11 vehicles, bringing the cumulative count since 2015 to 102. The company also supports residents of low-income lodging districts, provides snack trucks for firefighters and police officers as a gesture of appreciation, and organizes holiday sharing events for vulnerable groups.

In governance, the company is working to build a transparent and accountable management structure. Hite Jinro Group held an ethical management declaration ceremony Nov. 5 at its Seocho office in Seoul, attended by senior executives and heads of affiliates. The declaration set out five core principles: compliance with laws and regulations, fair and transparent business conduct, respect for all stakeholders, prevention of and accountability for illegal or improper acts, and leading by example at the management level. Hite Jinro said it plans to strengthen advance controls over internal transactions and related-party dealings, and to regularly disclose the declaration's contents and implementation status on its website and other channels.

Earlier in July, the company restructured its ESG committee to consist entirely of independent directors and expanded the committee's authority. It broadened the scope of advance review for related-party transactions to tighten internal controls on fair-trade compliance, and in October obtained ISO 37301 certification, the international standard for compliance management systems.

"For Hite Jinro, which has passed its 100th anniversary and is preparing for the next century, sustainable management is not a choice but the core of our competitiveness," said Jang In-seop, CEO of Hite Jinro. "We will consistently carry on our efforts to protect the environment and grow together with local communities, while further strengthening our transparent and fair management framework so that we can become a company trusted by our diverse stakeholders and by society at large."