Former Congressman Jay Kim Speaks Out on CSR

Former US Congressman Jay Kim recently spoke out on the benefits of corporate social responsibility (CSR). He offers a concise business case for CSR and urges businesses in Korea (whose embassy in Washington DC is pictured left) to take corporate responsibility seriously.

Mr. Kim, who represented the area around Diamond Bar, CA, from 1993 in 1999 in the US House of Representatives, embodies the American dream. An immigrant from Korea, he built an engineering company that at one point employed 130 workers in three different states. He won several engineering awards, completed a master’s degree and then a doctorate, and eventually ended up on the Diamond Bar City Council. In 1992 he won election to a newly-created congressional district, becoming the first Korean-American to serve in Congress. He is now chair of the Washington Korean-American Forum.

Read Congressman Kim’s entire article, in which he makes the business case for CSR:

Korea’s big businesses deserve praise for their amazing achievements. One can readily find merchandise made in Korea anywhere in the world. However, with their economic success they should also follow a corresponding rise in responsibilities. . .

Jay Kim

In the U.S., cases have arisen where CSR achievements are requested as a business requirement. It is never the case that CSR simply brings costs to corporations: rather . . . it can decrease negative public opinion of big businesses while increasing their brand value and profits. I believe that CSR, for big Korean businesses, can kill two birds with one stone.

Learn more about the Congressman from his thoughtful blog.