SK Hynix's First 'Timeless Technology Expert' Emerges

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] SK Hynix has produced its first 'technical expert exempt from retirement age.'

On the 12th, according to SK Hynix Newsroom, Lee Heeyeol, Team Leader (TL) of the NAND Device Team at the Future Technology Research Institute, was selected as the first recipient of the Technical Expert (HE) system exempt from retirement age.

Previously, in December 2018, SK Hynix introduced the HE system with the purpose of allowing outstanding technical experts to continue working and demonstrate their technical skills and nurture juniors even after reaching the retirement age of 60.

TL Lee joined the company in 1993 and has been engaged in developing NAND flash devices, also serving as an in-house technical instructor. Over 27 years since joining, he has filed 23 domestic and international patents, contributing to memory semiconductor R&D, and received the Ministerial Commendation on 'Inventors' Day' in 2016. He also received the CEO Award as an outstanding in-house instructor.

After retirement age, TL Lee continues to work, mainly taking charge of mid- to long-term projects, leading future technology development, and serving as an advisor who transfers expertise to juniors. TL Lee said, "Device work cannot be done alone, so I always paid close attention to related tasks and semiconductor market trends," adding, "Thanks to my efforts to become a talent with broad and deep knowledge rather than a narrow but deep specialist, I was able to continue growing."

SK Hynix plans to further strengthen the DE (Distinguished Engineer) system and HE system, which confer honor as technical experts to outstanding senior engineers. After increasing the number of DE recipients, they will also enhance the linkage between the two systems by selecting HE among DEs.

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