Korea opens public vote on first corporate social contribution food guide

South Korea's industry ministry said Monday it has opened a two-week public vote to select the country's first guide to corporate social contribution programs, with 20 finalists drawn from 113 submitted entries.

The program, named "Sichellin Star," is hosted by the Federation of Korean Industries and sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the health ministry. Voting runs from Oct. 26 to Nov. 8 on the official Sichellin website, where voters verify their identity and choose three of the 20 candidates.

The 20 finalists comprise 16 programs from large and mid-sized companies and four from small and medium-sized enterprises. The final 10 — eight from large and mid-sized firms and two from smaller ones — will be announced at an awards ceremony at the end of November. Selection combines online and offline public voting at 25 percent each, a roughly 1,000-member Sichellin voting panel weighted at 50 percent, and a final review by a committee.

An offline voting event and an exhibition of corporate social contribution activities will be held on Nov. 1 at the Byeokcheon Madang in Ttukseom Hangang Park. A group of 100 young social media supporters, called Sichellin Friends, will take part in spreading word of the vote.

"Corporate sustainable growth and social responsibility activities can shine even brighter through communication with the public," an official from the two ministries said. "We ask for your interest and participation so that the Sichellin Star vote, in which the public discovers and cheers on these programs themselves, can help spread a warmer culture of social contribution."

At the end of the year, a joint survey with the Federation of Korean Industries on Korea's social value landscape will be published, along with a Sichellin guide containing case studies of the selected companies.