The Valuable 500 expands into Korea to advance disability inclusion

A global corporate coalition focused on disability inclusion is expanding into Korea, adding local companies to a network that includes Big Tech companies such as Apple, Google and Salesforce.

The initiative, called The Valuable 500, was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2019 by social entrepreneur Caroline Casey. It has since grown to more than 500 companies and organizations across 41 countries and 64 sectors, representing roughly 22 million employees.

The coalition brings together CEOs and senior executives to push disability inclusion higher on corporate agendas, treating the issue less as a corporate social responsibility exercise and more as a matter of business competitiveness. Its top tier of members, known as Iconic Partners, helps set the group's global direction and standards for disability inclusion.

YouMe Jeon, regional executive director for the initiative's Asia Pacific operations, will lead the Korea expansion. Jeon's role covers corporate engagement and network growth across the region, and will focus on giving Korean companies' disability inclusion achievements more international visibility.

The Valuable 500 will provide a platform for Korean companies to showcase progress already made in the field while exchanging experience with other global businesses, according to the group.

“Korean companies have already made meaningful achievements across a wide range of areas, including disability employment, accessibility, workplace culture, and inclusive products and services,” Jeon said in a statement. “The next step is to ensure that these achievements do not remain within the domestic market, but become part of Korea's leadership on the global business stage.”

“Through The Valuable 500, I want to help Korean companies move beyond simply following global standards and become active contributors, sharing their achievements and innovations with the world and helping shape what comes next,” she said.

The expansion follows SYNC25, billed as Asia's first Accountability Summit under the initiative, held in Tokyo in December 2025. The Valuable 500 said it has been tracking momentum across the Asia-Pacific region since that event.

The group has also developed resources for member companies covering self-identification programs, disabled leadership, accessibility and corporate data and reporting, areas it said will become more accessible to Korean companies as the expansion proceeds.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]