[Edaily Reporter SIN SOO-JUNG ] KT&G Corporation has published the “2025 KT&G Report,” which details the company’s sustainable management strategy and its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance.

#KT&G Corporation announced on the 30th that it had presented “Beyond Growth, with Sustainability” as its new ESG vision in the report published on the 29th. The report details last year’s business performance—including the expansion of global operations and improved profitability—along with mid- to long-term plans to secure future growth engines.

KT&G Corporation also unveiled its five core values for sustainable management in this report. These five core values are: enhancing climate response capabilities, accelerating the circular economy, realizing industry-specific ESG value, fostering a responsible industrial ecosystem, and promoting sustainable human resource development.

A separate section was dedicated to corporate governance. KT&G Corporation currently maintains a ratio of outside directors at over 75% and operates with separate roles for the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Chairman of the Board. All board members attended all 12 board meetings held last year.

The KT&G Corporation also expanded its shareholder returns. Last year, the KT&G Corporation returned a total of 1.1874 trillion won to shareholders, comprising 627.4 billion won in dividends and 560 billion won in share buybacks and cancellations. The total shareholder return ratio stood at 108.9%.

In the environmental sector, the company reduced greenhouse gas emissions from its facilities by 9.3% last year compared to 2020. The proportion of renewable energy used was increased to approximately 23%. KT&G Corporation also plans to publish a separate climate disclosure report this July, covering risks and opportunities related to climate change, response strategies, and financial impacts.

As part of its social responsibility initiatives, the KT&G Corporation highlighted its win-win partnership with domestic leaf tobacco farmers. KT&G Corporation purchases the entire domestic harvest of leaf tobacco and provides health checkups for farmers as well as scholarships for their children.

Last year, KT&G Corporation became the first company in the tobacco industry to receive an AAA rating in the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) ESG assessment. It received the Presidential Commendation in the Comprehensive ESG category of the government’s awards for outstanding contributions to sustainable management and was selected as an “Excellent Value-Up Company” for 2025 by the Korea Exchange.

Bang Kyung-man, President of KT&G Corporation, stated, “The company has generated tangible business results by strengthening its competitive edge and advancing ESG management, and based on this, we have laid the groundwork for sustainable growth.” He added, “Going forward, we will continue to pursue a balanced approach of enhancing our core business competitiveness and implementing ESG management to simultaneously increase both corporate value and social value.”