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Appointment expected to amplify the School of Management’s vision for responsible leadership as a founding PRME signatory
“An invaluable opportunity to expand Kyung Hee’s founding philosophy across the global responsible management education arena”
Business education must nurture ethical leaders committed to humanity, society, nature, and future generations

Dean Yong-Seung Park of the School of Management has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a global initiative supported by the United Nations Global Compact. Commencing his three-year mandate in June, Dean Park will serve through May 2029, advising on global strategic priorities and governance frameworks for the initiative. In this capacity, he will collaborate with leading business school deans and sustainability executives worldwide to steer international policy dialogue and collaborative initiatives championing responsible management education, sustainable development, ethical leadership, and global citizenship.

Kyung Hee’s Founding Philosophy: Aligning with the UN and the Roots of Responsible Management

Launched in 2007 under the auspices of the UN Global Compact, PRME is the premier global platform dedicated to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), responsible management, ethical leadership, and stakeholder-centric governance through business education. Today, it stands as the definitive international network uniting leading business schools and academic institutions worldwide in transforming management pedagogy.

Kyung Hee’s School of Management joined the initiative as a founding signatory in 2008, taking a pioneering role in the global responsible management movement from its inception. This commitment is deeply rooted in Kyung Hee’s historic partnership with the United Nations. Since its establishment under the founding motto "Creating a Civilized World," Kyung Hee has championed scholarship dedicated to global peace, mutual human prosperity, and the advancement of civilization—values that align seamlessly with the UN’s pillars of sustainable development, human dignity, and global citizenship.

The partnership between Kyung Hee and PRME has steadily deepened over the years. In 2010, Dean Park spearheaded the inaugural regional conference, the Asian Forum for UN PRME, on the Kyung Hee campus, establishing a foundational springboard for responsible management education across Asia. In 2017, Dean Park was honored with the prestigious PRME Pioneer Award, earning global recognition for his leadership and enduring contributions to the field.

From Shareholder to Stakeholder: Paradigm Shift Driven by Curricular Innovation

Dean Park’s seminal work, Responsible Management: The Great Transformation of Business Administration, was designated an Outstanding Academic Book by the National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Korea (NAS) in 2022. The volume articulates a decisive paradigm shift from shareholder primacy to stakeholder-centered responsible management. Moving beyond the narrow pursuit of profit maximization, the text redefines the fundamental purpose of the firm through the lenses of human dignity, the common good, sustainability, and shared prosperity with all stakeholders.

This international appointment also reflects the School of Management’s long-standing institutional roadmap prioritizing responsible business education. Since 2012, the school has designated Responsible Management as a mandatory foundational course for all incoming majors—embedding core competencies in corporate purpose, stakeholder governance, sustainability, and ethical leadership from day one. This pioneering reform is widely recognized as an innovative curricular benchmark among leading business schools worldwide. In addition, the school has launched an ESG Micro-degree Program to cultivate sustainable management talent aligned with real-world corporate demands, while the Department of Big Data Applications spearheads responsible management in the digital era through AI-driven ESG strategy courses and applied research initiatives.

For the School of Management, responsible management education is far more than a standalone academic track; it is a signature pedagogical strategy translating Kyung Hee’s founding philosophy into the contemporary vernacular of business education. Just as "Creating a Civilized World" envisions a humane civilization, a peaceful global community, and shared social responsibility, responsible management education provides the operational blueprint to realize those ideals across enterprises, markets, and civil society.

Cultivating Leaders for the Era of AI and Ecological Transition

"Serving on the PRME Advisory Board is more than a personal honor; it is an opportunity to project Kyung Hee University's enduring vision of 'Creating a Civilized World' onto the global stage of responsible management education," stated Dean Yong-Seung Park. "I am dedicated to cementing the School of Management as an international benchmark for responsible leadership and driving pedagogical innovation that fosters a sustainable future, peace, and the common good across Asia and beyond."

Dean Park continued: "Management education can no longer afford to focus narrowly on commercial efficiency and competitive advantage. In an era defined by artificial intelligence and ecological transformation, business schools must cultivate leaders who possess the moral clarity and actionable capacity to uphold our responsibilities toward humanity, society, nature, and future generations.”

Looking ahead, Dean Park will spearhead the revitalization of the PRME Asia Forum and establish multilateral cooperation platforms to forge dynamic international coalitions for responsible management education across the region. Building on its heritage as a founding PRME signatory, Kyung Hee’s School of Management is poised to project its institutional narrative of peace and civilizational transformation across the global landscape of business education.