Leading S. Korean University to Make Corporate Ethics Class a Core Requirement

Faculty at the elite Seoul National University business school have created a new class teaching corporate ethics that will be a core requirement for students going forward. (Image: Yonhap)

SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Korea Bizwire) – Faculty at the elite Seoul National University business school have created a new class teaching corporate ethics that will be a core requirement for students going forward.

Starting this spring term, the class, titled “Corporate Philosophy and Ethics” will be mandatory for business management students in their freshman year.

The new course is the first of its kind to be designed as part of the core curriculum.

Three professors will teach history, philosophy and ethics pertaining to companies. Students will not receive marks, but will be given a pass/fail for the course.

The business school said it will specifically teach students the ethical and moral code befitting a business manager, the mindset a business person should adopt and the identity a company should adopt.

Saying that in many cases business management majors graduate without learning “what a company is”, business management professor Kim Byeong-do said the he expected that students would learn about the social responsibilities of individuals in business, and what the proper identity for a company should be.

A handful of South Korean corporate leaders have been mired in scandals ranging from corruption and bribery to sexual harassment. Kumho Asiana Group chairman Park Sam-koo has come under fire recently for allegedly engaging in a variety of inappropriate behaviors towards female flight attendants.

Kumho Asiana Group chairman Park Sam-koo has come under fire recently for allegedly engaging in a variety of inappropriate behaviors towards female flight attendants. (Image: Yonhap)

Former head of Woori Bank Lee Kwang-goo resigned after allegations of illicit hiring practices were brought against South Korea’s third largest moneylender last year.

Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong was arrested and served almost a year behind bars on charges of bribery and corruption before being released on a suspended sentence on February 5.

Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong was arrested and served almost a year behind bars on charges of bribery and corruption before being released on a suspended sentence on February 5. (Image: Yonhap)

Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)