Chairman Chey Tae-won: "SK Telecom Innovates into a Global AI Company... Cannot Delay"

Unpaid Non-Registered Chairman Appointment
"Role as Supporter of Management and Board of Directors"

Chairman Choi Tae-won of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry is giving a greeting speech at the policy lecture hosted by Chairman Cho Sung-wook of the Fair Trade Commission held on the 13th at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK, has expressed his ambition to grow SK Telecom into a world-class artificial intelligence (AI) company.

According to SK Group on the 21st, Chairman Chey stated on SK Telecom's internal bulletin board, "Innovation into a global AI company is an urgent task that can no longer be postponed, and there is little time left for opportunities and challenges," adding, "I want to join SK Telecom's challenge."

To this end, Chairman Chey plans to take on the unpaid, non-registered chairman position at SK Telecom to help accelerate AI business and digital innovation.

Since he will be appointed as a non-registered chairman, he will not participate in the board of directors in the usual way but will serve as a facilitator to enable the management and the board to lead fundamental innovation.

While considering the appointment as SK Telecom chairman, Chairman Chey reportedly met in advance with outside directors and other board members of SK Telecom to seek their opinions, reaching a consensus that his involvement could help the company's growth.

Currently, Chairman Chey participates in decision-making as the CEO chairman of SK Inc., SK Group's investment holding company, but at SK Innovation and SK Hynix, he has served as a non-registered chairman, acting as a facilitator between the management and the board of directors of both companies.

Accelerating Innovation Across SK Group

With Chairman Chey taking on the SK Telecom chairman role, it is expected that the company’s ongoing comprehensive innovations, including becoming a global AI company, will gain momentum.

Chairman Chey predicts that if SK Telecom succeeds in AI innovation, a deep change (fundamental innovation) across SK Group’s ICT business will accelerate further, which explains why he has stepped forward as a facilitator for SK Telecom.

An SK Group official stated, "Ten years ago, under Chairman Chey Tae-won's leadership, SK Hynix was acquired, expanding the business into semiconductors. Since then, SK affiliates have successfully expanded into batteries, bio, hydrogen, and other sectors," adding, "If Chairman Chey supports innovation in SK Telecom’s business, not only SK Telecom but also innovation across the entire SK Group can accelerate."

Meanwhile, after Chairman Chey’s appointment, SK Telecom’s management activities will be handled by the current management team led by CEO Yoo Young-sang, a professional manager, and major decisions will be made by the board of directors chaired by Kim Yong-hak.

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