Korea ESG Research Institute

What Korea ESG Research Institute does

Korea ESG Research Institute (한국ESG연구소, "KRESG") is a Seoul-based, privately held B2B professional services firm established in August 2020 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daishin Economic Research Institute (대신경제연구소), itself part of Daishin Financial Group. The firm was created specifically to maintain operational separation between proxy voting advisory and ESG evaluation activities, mitigating conflicts of interest for institutional investor clients. It serves approximately 40-45 institutional investors, including the National Pension Service (NPS), Public Officials Benefit Association, Teachers' Pension, and major Korean asset managers and securities firms.

The company's core offerings are the proprietary KRESG ESG Evaluation Model — a 7-tier (S/A+/A/B+/B/C/D) rating system with industry-specific weightings — and Proxy Analysis services covering approximately 700 Korean listed companies and 6,078 AGM agenda items per season. These rest on three platform components: the Person DB System (career and organizational data for ~1,800 listed companies over 10 years), the Dividend Evaluation Model (regression-based identification of under/over-dividend names), and a Monitoring System for ongoing media and disclosure surveillance. Supporting services include Stewardship Code consulting, Customized Voting Guidelines, ESG Monitoring with real-time rating adjustments, and RI/Governance Reports, all delivered through the ESG Portal (portal.kresg.co.kr). The firm is a UNPRI and ICGN signatory.

Revenue comes from subscription-style proxy advisory contracts and ESG evaluation subscriptions to institutional investors, supplemented by professional services engagements (stewardship code consulting, ESG roadmap construction). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; relationships are B2B contracts with dedicated phone lines per service. Despite a reported headcount of only about 5 employees, the firm has retained the NPS proxy analysis mandate for three consecutive years (2021-2023) and delivered a 17.1% against-recommendation rate in the 2026 AGM season — evidence of concentrated operational leverage on proprietary methodology and parental infrastructure rather than large-scale labor. Geographic scope is domestic Korea; no foreign-market expansion is indicated.

Name

Korea ESG Research Institute

Legal name

한국ESG연구소

Website

https://kesgresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Korea ESG Research Institute is a Seoul-based B2B subsidiary of Daishin Economic Research Institute that provides ESG evaluation, proxy voting advisory, and stewardship code consulting to approximately 40-45 Korean institutional investors, including the National Pension Service, using a proprietary 7-tier KRESG rating model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

ESG Research and Proxy Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG Data, Ratings & Research (Providers, Methodologies, Analytics) (FSAAALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

ESG/Sustainable Investment Advisory (FSAEAAAJ), ESG & Sustainability Research (FSACAGAH), ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL), ESG Data Platforms, Controls & Audit Readiness (Data quality, internal controls) (EUAHAJAN), ESG Data, Ratings & Climate Benchmarks (FSAFAIAI)

Keywords

• ESG evaluation services
• Proxy advisory services
• Stewardship code consulting
• Responsible investment research
• Corporate governance advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Proxy Advisory Services: Proxy voting advisory services for institutional investors on shareholder meeting agendas. Provides objective voting guidelines and customized advisory for approximately 700 companies annually.
2. ESG Evaluation Services: ESG performance evaluation of listed companies for investment decision support. Evaluation results provided to institutional investors through a proprietary platform.
3. Stewardship Code Consulting: Support services for institutional investors in establishing and fulfilling stewardship code responsibilities, including engagement activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Korea ESG Research Institute provides ESG evaluation and proxy advisory services to institutional investors in Korea, including pension funds, asset management companies, and financial institutions. Its core services include ESG performance evaluation using its proprietary KRESG model, proxy voting recommendations for shareholder meeting agendas, and stewardship code consulting. Supporting these services are the Person DB System covering approximately 1,800 listed companies, a Dividend Evaluation Model, and a continuous Monitoring System for ESG issues.

Product overview

Korea ESG Research Institute (KRESG) operates as a unified platform combining ESG evaluation and proxy advisory services. The core offering includes the proprietary KRESG ESG Evaluation Model for assessing Environmental, Social, and Governance factors across approximately 1,000+ listed companies, complemented by the Proxy Analysis service for shareholder meeting voting recommendations. Supporting the core services are three platform components: the Person DB System providing executive and relationship data for approximately 1,800 companies, the Dividend Evaluation Model for identifying under/over-dividend companies, and the Monitoring System for continuous ESG issue tracking. Additional services include ESG Monitoring for real-time rating adjustments, RI/Governance Reports, and Customized Voting Guidelines. All services are accessible through the ESG Portal (portal.kresg.co.kr). The company serves approximately 45 institutional investors including pension funds and asset managers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KRESG: The company's proprietary ESG evaluation model platform

Products and services

• KRESG ESG Evaluation Model Proprietary ESG evaluation model assessing Environmental (E), Social (S), and Governance (G) factors of listed companies. Uses KRESG scoring methodology with 7-tier rating scale (S/A+/A/B+/B/C/D) and industry-specific weighting. Evaluation conducted semi-annually with real-time adjustments for controversial issues.
• Proxy Analysis Service Shareholder meeting agenda analysis service providing voting recommendations on items including financial statements, dividends, board appointments, and executive compensation. Analyzes approximately 700 companies annually with 4-step internal review process covering approximately 45 institutional investors.
• Stewardship Code Services Advisory services supporting institutional investors in establishing and implementing stewardship code principles, including fiduciary responsibility policies, conflict of interest management, and voting guidelines.
• ESG Portal Online platform providing access to ESG evaluation data, proxy analysis results, and monitoring services for institutional investors. Accessible at portal.kresg.co.kr.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17.1% against recommendation rate for 2026 AGM season (up 4.9%p from previous year)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Daishin Economic Research Institute (대신경제연구소)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company and subsidiary relationship. Daishin Economic Research Institute (established 1984) established Korea ESG Research Institute in August 2020 as a subsidiary to prevent conflicts of interest. Korea ESG Research Institute operates as the ESG-focused research arm under the Daishin Financial Group umbrella.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• MSCI ESG Research: Global ESG ratings and research provider with extensive institutional client base. Competes with KRESG for ESG data mandates from Korean asset owners seeking international-quality ESG analytics.
• Bloomberg ESG: ESG data and analytics platform from Bloomberg serving institutional investors globally. Adjacent competitor for ESG evaluation data used by Korean institutional clients for portfolio screening.
• Sustainalytics (Morningstar): Major global ESG ratings provider owned by Morningstar. Competes with KRESG's ESG evaluation business for Korean institutional mandates and offers broader international ESG coverage that global asset owners may prefer.
• LSEG (Refinitiv) ESG: Major ESG data provider offering company-level ESG scores and ESG screening tools. Competes with KRESG's ESG evaluation offering for institutional asset owners requiring global ESG datasets.
• S&P Global Sustainable1 (formerly SAM): Global ESG data, ratings, and benchmarking provider from S&P Global. Comparable ESG ratings methodology and institutional client focus, increasingly relevant for Korean institutional investors seeking global ESG benchmarks.

Direct peers

• Korea Corporate Governance Service (KCGS): Korea's leading domestic ESG rating and corporate governance evaluation agency. Most direct Korean peer - both serve Korean institutional investors with ESG ratings, governance evaluations, and proxy-related services.
• Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS): Global leader in proxy advisory and corporate governance services, directly comparable to KRESG's Proxy Analysis and stewardship consulting. ISS serves institutional investors worldwide and is the primary global benchmark KRESG competes against in Korea.
• Glass Lewis: Major global proxy advisor providing voting recommendations and governance research to institutional investors. Directly competes with KRESG in proxy advisory, with growing Korean institutional penetration.
• ISS ESG: ESG research and rating arm of Institutional Shareholder Services providing ESG data, ratings, and climate solutions to institutional investors. Direct competitor for ESG evaluation services in Korea and globally.

Emerging players

• EcoVadis: Provider of business sustainability ratings focused on supply chains and corporate ESG performance. Related ESG ratings capability with different customer focus (corporates vs. KRESG's institutional investors).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/korea-esg-research-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Korea ESG Research Institute