Empowering 2030, Park Jeong-ho Was Right... SKT's 'Junior Board Experiment'

Yoo Young-joo, leader of SK Telecom Service Strategy CoE in charge of planning and operating the Junior Board (left), and Kwak Min-seok, leader of the Integrated Offering CoE. The Junior Board, consisting of 38 employees aged 20 to 30, operates under a strict confidentiality policy.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] "The first month's fee should be drastically lowered like Netflix." "Marketing to lower the entry barrier is necessary."

At the end of July, the executive council 'Service Committee' chaired by Park Jung-ho, CEO of SK Telecom, included unfamiliar faces. Among the executives with an average age in their 50s, 2030 employees confidently took their seats. Earlier, CEO Park announced that decisions on new service launches would go through 2030 employees. The 2030 employees attending this meeting were the representatives of the 'Junior Board' promised by CEO Park. They boldly expressed their opinions on the 5GX cloud gaming service, and those opinions were immediately reflected in the actual service.

"Break the old generation's formula" CEO's declaration followed by the launch of Junior Board with 38 2030 employees in July

Yu Young-joo, leader of SK Telecom Service Strategy CoE in charge of the Junior Board, said in an interview with Asia Economy on the afternoon of the 23rd, "The Junior Board started from the idea of listening to the opinions of those who use services the most for SK Telecom to grow as a service company," adding, "What differentiates us the most is that we are members boarding directly under the CEO's Service Committee." They not only listen to the opinions of the younger generation but also participate in the decision-making process.

This strongly reflects CEO Park's will. Right after his declaration to "break the old generation's formula," the Junior Board, consisting of 38 employees, was launched in July through support and recommendations. The oldest member is 37 years old. Nearly half, 18 members, are in their 20s and have joined the company only a few years ago.

The 5GX cloud gaming service, which attracted attention through collaboration with Microsoft (MS), is the first case where the Junior Board's discussions were reflected in the actual service. Kwak Min-seok, leader of SK Telecom Integrated Offering CoE, who manages the Junior Board, emphasized, "Various discussions took place, from whether it should be a single product or subscription-based to whether the current price is appropriate," adding, "Their opinions are strictly from the customer and user perspective, independent of internal company interests." This is why even CEO Park encourages the sometimes harsh opinions of the Junior Board by saying, "Please share more."

SK Telecom's first-ever gene test-based personalized healthcare service 'Care8 DNA' is a case where the Junior Board completely reestablished the marketing strategy. Yu leader explained, "Before the launch, some executives doubted whether this service would resonate with the younger generation, but the Junior Board's reaction after actually experiencing it was very enthusiastic," adding, "Originally, the marketing target was broadly set, but the opinion to narrow it down to 2030 was proposed and immediately reflected." He also expressed surprise, saying the opinions presented by the Junior Board "break the preconceived notions."

Park Jung-ho, CEO of SK Telecom, announced plans to introduce a Junior Board at the 'Non-face-to-face Town Hall' held last June on the theme of post-COVID-19, saying, "Let's break the old generation's formula."
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Concerns dispelled in less than 100 days... Developing a track for service experts

At the early stage of its launch, there were concerns about the Junior Board. Some worried it might become a 'worse-than-nothing organization' by presenting unprofessional or immature ideas. There were also voices concerned that 2030 employees might face external pressure or coercion when given decision-making authority.

However, Yu leader smiled after observing the first meeting, saying, "Those concerns were unfounded." He said, "The Junior Board 'speaks what needs to be said,'" and "Seeing them point out parts that even experts fully agree with, and discussing the direction and strategy of the service, eased my worries and raised my expectations." The list of Junior Board employees is not disclosed in principle, and all opinions presented are anonymized.

Typically, Junior Board employees are given two weeks in total to review and make decisions on services. The process is topic disclosure → review of related materials → Q&A → in-depth meetings with business departments and service experience → multiple discussions → voting. The first question in every vote is always the same: "If you were a customer, would you use this service?"

However, it is impossible that there is no resistance from business departments that have prepared the service with great care. Some services had their decisions postponed in the Service Committee for further review after receiving negative opinions from the Junior Board. But even this process is evaluated internally as being meaningfully integrated.

CEO Park also has high expectations for the Junior Board. He plans to build a long-term system to nurture service experts by establishing a graduation system for the 2nd and 3rd phases and beyond.

Kwak leader said, "Generally, juniors in society imply a lack of skills and experience and are in the process of learning, but the opinions presented by the Junior Board are not at that level," emphasizing, "This is a significant opportunity to create a system that utilizes junior members within the company." Yu leader, a service expert, also expressed affection, saying, "SK Telecom will be able to secure service experts and solidify its position as a service company," and "I hope many services loved by customers will be launched."

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