Dong-A ST (Vice Chairman Kang Soo-hyoung) held an initiation ceremony for the internal auditors of the ‘ISO 37001’ anti-bribery committee on November 23 in the 2nd floor conference room in Yongdu-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul.

Dong-A ST, which is subject to the first round of the ISO 37001 certification for the anti-bribery management system, held the ‘Declaration of CP Reinforcement and ISO 37001 Introduction’ on November 22. The company will start the ISO 37001 certification process with the initiation ceremony for the internal auditors of the anti-bribery committee, and will finally receive the certification after going through the process of application, examination, corrective action and review over a period of seven months from December of this year to June 2018.

Dong-A ST President Min Jang-seong and about twenty of the ISO 37001 internal auditors selected from the CP department and eighteen other departments, including management, marketing, sales, research and production, attended the initiation ceremony. During the event the “Declaration of Anti-bribery and Corruption” was officially adopted, the internal auditors were appointed, and the roles of ISO 37001 and the anti-bribery committee were outlined by President Min Jang-sung.

The ISO 37001 certification requires a bribery risk assessment, the establishment and control of the anti-bribery management system operation plan, the operation and monitoring of a whistleblowing system, and continuous improvements. Dong-A ST has formed the anti-bribery committee to operate and establish the anti-bribery management system, and selected a group of internal auditors whose remit is to analyze and review the risk of bribery by department, inspect and manage the operation process of the anti-bribery management system, provide special training, and diffuse a culture.

The ISO 37001 is an anti-bribery management system designed to prevent and discourage illegal exchanges of money and acts of bribery, and is operated according to the standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ISO 37001 remains valid for three years from the time of certification, and a follow-up examination is conducted one year after the certification.

An official from Dong-A ST said, “The importance of transparent and ethical management is increasing day by day in view of society’s expectation of corporate ethics and compliance. Starting with the inauguration ceremony for the internal auditors, we will strive to establish a fair and ethical organizational culture by building the company’s anti-bribery management system.”

Dong-A ST introduced the CP and established compliance guidelines and operating standards for the first time in the industry in 2007. After establishing the CP team in 2010, the organization was expanded to CP management in 2014 and the CEO was appointed as the compliance manager. In recognition of these efforts, the company received the ‘AA’ grade in the CP rating conducted by the Fair Trade Commission in 2015.