Korea Tourism Organization Acquires ISO 20121 Certification

The Korea Tourism Organization (President Young-bae Ahn) obtained the ISO 20121 certification from the Korean Standards Association, an international standard for sustainable event management established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

ISO 20121 is an international standard that evaluates whether event planners, venues, and marketing organizations carrying out MICE activities such as international conferences, incentive tourism, conventions, and exhibitions have economic, environmental and socially sustainable management systems and operating processes. Korea Tourism Organization, which cooperates with international organizations, fosters the convergence of the MICE industry, and attracts and supports visiting MICE groups, has been recognized for its efforts in sustainability and MICE operation management systems through the acquiring of this certification.

KTO has been actively promoting company-wide ESG management starting from 2021. In particular, the MICE department conducted a self-diagnosis on the sustainability management of the organization’s MICE activities, established an action plan based on the results, and passed a two-step expert review of the Korean Standards Association to acquire the ISO20121 certification.

Lee Young-geun, Director of the MICE Planning & Management Team of KTO, stated, “As global competition for attracting and hosting MICE events intensifies, the implementation of a sustainable management system takes top priority.” He continued, “With the new ISO 20121 certification, we plan to enhance our efforts in supporting the qualitative growth and global competitiveness of the MICE industry.”

Under the Korea Tourism Organization, Korea MICE Bureau aims to establish Korea as a top meeting and incentive travel destination. KMB serves as liaison to local convention bureaus, venues, PCO, and DMC to ensure an organized planning & successful execution of events.