SK Declares Cash Dividend of Around 6,500 KRW per Share... "Record High"

Including Interim Dividend of 1,500 Won, Record High Ever
Last Year’s Profit Realization from BioPharm Share Sale

"Fostering Four Major Businesses: Advanced Materials, Bio, Green, and Digital"
"Continuing Efforts for Shareholder-Friendly Management"

Jang Dong-hyun, President and CEO of SK Inc. (Photo by SK)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Investment specialist SK Inc. has decided to pay the largest shareholder dividend in its history. This conveys a message that while sparing no investment in four core growth industries?advanced materials, bio, green, and digital?it will also focus on shareholder-friendly management.

SK announced on the 9th that it held a board meeting and passed a resolution to pay a year-end dividend of 6,500 KRW per common share (6,550 KRW per preferred share) to shareholders. SK shareholders will receive a total dividend of 8,000 KRW per share, including the interim dividend paid last year (1,500 KRW per share for both common and preferred shares). This is the largest dividend amount paid by SK since the launch of the integrated holding company in 2015. It surpassed the previous record of 7,000 KRW per share paid last year. The total annual dividend payment also increased by 21% (about 80 billion KRW) from 370.1 billion KRW last year to 447.6 billion KRW. Compared to the 208.7 billion KRW paid five years ago in 2016, it has increased by approximately 114%. An SK official explained, "As an investment specialist company, we are implementing an active dividend policy that reflects investment profits as dividend resources. We were able to increase dividends by reflecting investment gains secured through partial sales of SK Biopharm shares last year as dividend resources."

SK is focusing its investments on future growth engines centered on four core businesses: advanced materials, bio, green, and digital. Last year, it invested in advanced materials companies such as SES AI (formerly SolidEnergy Systems), a next-generation lithium metal battery manufacturer; Yes Power Technics, a SiC power semiconductor manufacturer; and Signet EV, an electric vehicle fast charger manufacturer. In the bio sector, it acquired Epos케시, a French CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) specializing in cell and gene therapies. Lee Sung-hyung, SK’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), said, "As an investment specialist company, we are strengthening the execution of our financial story centered on the four core businesses while establishing a virtuous cycle of investment through active profit realization. We will continue predictable and sustainable shareholder returns linked to investment performance."

According to SK, the company has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) World, a global benchmark for corporate sustainability evaluation, for 10 consecutive years. It has also received high ratings (A+, AA) in the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) excellence evaluations conducted by the Korea Corporate Governance Service and MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital International), a global investment information provider, respectively. These recognitions reflect transparent management activities and efforts to protect shareholder rights from various domestic and international institutions. Furthermore, SK practices shareholder-friendly management by staggering shareholder meeting schedules among group affiliates, implementing electronic voting for the first time among major domestic holding companies, and announcing a corporate governance charter.

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