“ESG Beyond Simple Evaluation Metrics” ... Book by Kookmin University Professor Kim Jong-sung Selected for the Ministry’s Sejong Books

[Financial News] Kookmin University announced on the 7th that “Sustainable Management and ESG Through 10 Key Theories,” a book by Professor Kim Jong-sung of the Graduate School of Global Entrepreneurship and Venture, was selected for the social sciences field of the academic category of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s “2026 Sejong Books.” Following its selection, the book is expected to be distributed to some 2,000 public and university libraries nationwide.
Sejong Books, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and administered by the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, is a program that selects and distributes books published in Korea each year for their outstanding academic merit and public value. This year, 345 of the 2,194 titles considered in the academic category were selected, marking a high competition ratio of about 6.4 to 1.
The book received high marks for approaching ESG (environmental, social and governance) and sustainable management—both of which have recently emerged as key issues in corporate management—as academic theories rather than simple evaluation criteria or checklists.
Drawing on 10 key theories from business administration and sociology, the book clearly explains why companies should respond to social values and how such efforts can lead to their survival and growth. In particular, it uses management theories such as resource dependence theory to explain how early-stage companies (startups), which lack resources and talent, grow by collaborating with external stakeholders.
Professor Kim Jong-sung, the author, said, “As ESG grows increasingly important, I wrote this book so that students and practitioners can use theory to understand the answer to the fundamental question, ‘Why should we do ESG?’” He also emphasized, “For startups that depend on external sources for most of the resources they need to survive, including capital and talent, designing relationships with stakeholders is not simply a choice but a condition for survival.”
Professor Kim, who holds a doctorate in sociology, is an expert in social enterprises and ESG. His previous roles include specialist at the Presidential Committee on Youth and head of the Center for Entrepreneurship Education at Kookmin University’s LINC+ Project Group. He currently also serves as director of Kookmin University’s Entrepreneurship and Startup Hub.
Meanwhile, Kookmin University’s Graduate School of Global Entrepreneurship and Venture plans to recruit new students for its master’s and doctoral programs in entrepreneurship for the 2027 academic year, with the aim of cultivating specialized researchers and practitioners in entrepreneurship and venture fields.

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter