SK Energy and SK Trading Inter Donate COVID-19 Test Kits to Myanmar

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] SK Innovation's petroleum business subsidiaries SK Energy and SK Trading International have donated 4,000 COVID-19 test kits to Myanmar.

On the 9th, SK Energy and SK Trading International announced that they had donated 4,000 COVID-19 test kits worth approximately $50,000 to Myanmar, one of their major overseas business hubs.

Myanmar has recently shown signs of COVID-19 spread, recording 176 confirmed cases and 6 deaths, but it is known that diagnosis has not been carried out smoothly due to a shortage of test kits.

The donated kits are products of the domestic company Bioseum, approved for use by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and have already been exported overseas to the U.S., Europe, and Southeast Asia, proving their quality and performance.

SK sent 4,000 test kits to Myanmar via an air shipment on the 8th. With the cooperation of the Korean Ambassador to Myanmar, the delivery was carried out without additional air freight costs. On the morning of the 9th, a test kit presentation ceremony was held at the Medical Research Institute under the Ministry of Health and Sports in Yangon, Myanmar, attended by representatives from the Myanmar government, the Korean Embassy in Myanmar, BOC (Best Oil Company), and SK Trading International.

SK Energy and SK Trading International have a close relationship with Myanmar. In July last year, the two companies signed a contract to acquire a total of 35% stake in BOC, Myanmar's number one petroleum distribution group, with each acquiring 17.5%, and completed the acquisition process in December.

BOC is a business holding company that owns subsidiaries such as petroleum product import and distribution companies and petroleum product import terminal operators. At the time, SK stated that the acquisition of BOC shares was a strategic investment to secure a stable export and trading market and to enter the local petroleum distribution market in Myanmar to seek new growth opportunities.

Seok-won Seo, President of SK Trading International, said, "Myanmar is important not only from a business perspective, such as collaboration with BOC, but also from a humanitarian standpoint. Upon hearing that there was difficulty in COVID-19 diagnosis due to a shortage of kits, we decided to provide emergency support. We hope that Myanmar, as well as Korea, will overcome this difficult time well, and that this will serve as an opportunity to further enhance the business of both companies and the friendly relations between the two countries."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.