SK Chairman Chey Tae-won to Receive 'Legion of Honor' Medal in France

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, will receive France's highest honor, the Legion d'Honneur.

According to industry sources on the 20th, Chairman Chey is scheduled to receive the award from the French government on the 22nd (local time) in recognition of his contributions to economic cooperation between Korea and France.

The Legion d'Honneur was established in 1802 by Napoleon I to honor soldiers who had distinguished themselves. Today, it is awarded to individuals recognized for their contributions in various fields including politics, economy, culture, religion, academia, and sports.

SK Geocentric, a subsidiary of SK Innovation, acquired the high-value-added chemical business of high-performance polymers from French company Arkema in 2019 for 335 million euros (approximately 440 billion KRW). This month, SK Geocentric, together with French environmental specialist Suez and Canadian plastic recycling company Loop Industries, decided to establish a joint venture for a 70,000-ton chemical recycling plant in Europe. Last year, SK Holdings, SK Group's investment holding company, also acquired Epos케시, a French contract manufacturing organization (CMO) specializing in raw materials for gene and cell therapy (GCT) pharmaceuticals.

Meanwhile, Chairman Chey departed for a four-day business trip to Paris on the 19th as the private sector chairman supporting the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo and as the chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He plans to attend the 170th General Assembly of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) held in Paris on the 21st and 22nd to actively promote Busan's bid for the World Expo.

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