Success Story – Younghee Hwang

17 October 2025

“We want people to see that vegan food is not only ethical but delicious, accessible and beneficial for everyone” 

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With integrity and vision, Younghee Hwang, the CEO of the Korea Agency of Vegan Certification Services (KVCS) leads the charge toward a compassionate, sustainable, and globally trusted plant-based industry. KVCS is a member of ACTAsia’s Compassionate Choices Network and hosted the Plant Forward campaign in Korea. 

Introducing Younghee Hwang and KVCS

In South Korea, veganism is moving from a niche lifestyle to a mainstream choice. Climate awareness, health concerns, and ethical consumption are reshaping how Koreans think about food. But for businesses trying to meet this demand, one question persists: how do consumers know a product is truly vegan? Younghee Hwang, the founder and director of the Korea Agency of Vegan Certification Services (KVCS), has spent the past seven years answering that question.

Born and raised in Seoul, Younghee’s curiosity about food and science began at a young age. She studied food and nutrition at university, drawn to chemistry, biology, and pharmacology. Her interest extended to cosmetic ingredients and the molecular science behind everyday products. After university, she worked as a government official at Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, overseeing regulations for food and product safety.

While she valued the work, she realised she wanted to help people and businesses more directly. “I wanted to pursue creative work,” she explains. She also noticed widespread confusion about vegan labeling and plant-based ingredients. “Even if something wasn’t true, once people saw it online, they would believe it,” she says. “Manufacturers needed a certification body to ensure they were producing proper vegan products.”

In response, Younghee founded KVCS in March 2018, Korea’s first domestic vegan certification agency, headquartered in Hanyang University’s Institute of Technology. Since then, KVCS has certified over 12,000 products. For context, Younghee shares that The Vegan Society UK (est. 1944), the world’s oldest and largest vegan certification body, has certified 60,000 products over its eight-decade history. KVS has achieved roughly 20% of that total in just seven years. 

 “Our goal this year is to reach 3,000 new certifications,” she says. “Each one represents a company taking responsibility for ethical production and consumer trust.”

Leading Societal Change with ACTAsia

Younghee first connected with ACTAsia at the AVA Summit in Washington, D.C., in 2022. There she met Joy Lee, coordinator of ACTAsia’s Compassionate Choices Network. “Joy introduced me to ACTAsia, the Compassionate Choices Network (CCN), and Pei [ACTAsia founder and CEO],” Younghee recalls. “It was the first time I had travelled abroad since the pandemic, and I was very inspired. The CCN connects like-minded leaders across Asia and strengthens areas where individual countries may be weak. It creates a united and powerful movement.”

Through the CCN, Younghee’s KVCS team became involved in ACTAsia’s Plant Forward initiative, which encourages consumers and businesses to explore plant-based diets through education and community engagement. KVCS hosted a hands-on vegan baking class to raise awareness and foster connection between consumers and ethical production. “Plant Forward embodies not only our certification work for businesses but also the culture of compassion we strive for,” Younghee explains. “It connects businesses and consumers across Asia to foster systemic change. The Korean government recognises us as significant because we connect with other Asian organisations.”

Breaking Barriers in a Growing Market

Certification is meticulous work. KVCS traces supply chains, cross-checks raw materials and ensures that no animal-derived ingredients are present at any stage. Yet small businesses often face challenges when sourcing ingredients from large multinational suppliers, who guard proprietary information about their manufacturing processes. “Many suppliers don’t want to inform us of exact manufacturers because they’re worried businesses could trade directly,” Younghee says. Navigating this complexity requires persistence, diplomacy and deep industry knowledge.

Perception is another hurdle. Despite growing demand, many Korean companies hesitate to label products as vegan due to lingering stereotypes. Some consumers associate vegan food with restriction, while certain business sectors worry that labeling might reduce sales. Animal agriculture associations have even lobbied to prevent labels such as vegan sausage or vegan hamburger. Younghee and her team work to change these perceptions. “We want people to see that vegan food is not only ethical but delicious, accessible and beneficial for everyone,” she says. “Our plant-based and vegan market is big. It has grown a lot and is getting stronger.”

What Younghee Hopes to Achieve in the Future

Over the past decade, Younghee has witnessed a significant shift in corporate and consumer perceptions. “Veganism was once considered strange; it involved special products,” she says. “But now it is seen as necessary for health, animal welfare and the climate.” Accessibility has improved: vegan and vegetarian options are increasingly available in major cities and tourist destinations and traditional Korean dishes like bibimbap and seaweed rice rolls are being embraced as naturally plant based. Many restaurants now seek KVCS certification to demonstrate authenticity and attract a growing audience.

Younghee’s vision extends far beyond individual certifications: she endeavours for a world where veganism is normalised and accessible to everyone, not just health-conscious consumers or strict vegans. Her goal is for Korean vegan-certified products to be trusted globally and for businesses to recognise that ethical, plant-based practices are also economically advantageous. “When companies manufacture vegan products, they aim to create a structure that leads in sustainable food innovation and ethical consumption,” she explains. “They believe vegan labels are important and beneficial to their business.”

Her work is demanding but deeply rewarding. “It is not easy, and I am tired,” Younghee admits. “But I would do my job again and again.” For her, the mission is inter-generational: “We are doing this not only for animals and the Earth, but for humans and the next generations.”

Through KVCS and collaboration with ACTAsia, Younghee is building the infrastructure that allows businesses to act ethically and consumers to make informed choices. She is helping to make veganism in Korea ordinary, trustworthy, and widely accessible. In doing so, she is not only supporting ethical consumption in the present but shaping the next generation of compassionate leaders across Asia.

Get involved 

Thank you, Younghee, for your incredible contributions to building a more ethical planet! ACTAsia’s Compassionate Choices Network brings together leaders like Younghee Hwang who are shaping a kinder, more sustainable future. Your support helps us continue this vital work: expanding education, empowering businesses, and inspiring compassionate choices for all. Join us or donate today.