Presented in 2025 KDI & KLRI Global Symposium, South Korea

On March 7, 2025, the APAC Focus team, comprising Bryan L. (Program Director), Leonard Luk (Co-Program Director), and Soo-hyun LEE (Advisor), was honored to present and attend a symposium themed "Asia-Pacific Regional Solidarity for Overcoming Crises in Transitional Law and Economics." This event was organized by South Korea's top think tanks, the Korea Legislation Research Institute and the Korea Development Institute (KDI), in Seoul.

The symposium featured in-depth discussions on ESG regulations and practices with delegates from South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. 

Key highlights presented by the APAC Focus team from the event include:

1. Hong Kong & GBA latest development: Our team presented the current state, challenges, and limitations of ESG policies, regulations, and legislation in Hong Kong.

2. Regional Cooperation: Despite geopolitical challenges and shifts in global diplomacy, the region is united in developing comprehensive ESG frameworks to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

3. Comprehensive ESG Implementation: While many regions focus on environmental aspects by referencing each other's regulations, there is a growing need to expand the focus on social and governance factors as well.

4. Concerns about the Weaponization of ESG Regulation: The team also raised the concern that the intellectual community should be aware of the potential for ESG legislation to be weaponized for political purposes, especially in the current geopolitical climate.

5. Do Not Significantly Harm principle: It is crucial to develop a comprehensive plan and theoretical framework for incorporating the "Do Not Significantly Harm" principle into ESG-related policies and legislation in the Asia context. This ensures that environmental and social impacts are minimized while promoting sustainable practices.

Co-Moderators:

1. Dr. Jungwook Kim (Director Principal, CID, KDI)

2. Dr. Yukyong Jung Yun Choe (Executive Director, CLFER, KLRI)

List of participants, presenters, and discussants:

1. Ms. Siriwan Limsakul, Climate & Sustainability Manager, Deloitte Thailand (Thailand) 

2. Assoc. Prof. Luh Luh Lan, National University of Singapore (Singapore) 

3. Ms. Narulita Ratih Wulansari, Deputy of State Accountant, Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (Indonesia) 

4. Ms. Etsuyo Michida, Senior Research Fellow, IDE-JETRO (Japan) 

5. Mr. Pascal Siu, Head of Green & Sustainability & Senior Research Manager, Our Hong Kong Foundation (Hong Kong) 

6. Dr. Anne Juepner, Director, UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (Germany) 

7. Mr. Youngchan KIM, Specialist in Programme, UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (ROK) 

8. Research team from the Korea Development Institute

9. Research team from the Korea Legislative Research Institute