SK Networks Celebrates 70th Anniversary with Employee Volunteer Activities

SK Networks, the founding company of SK Group, celebrated its 70th anniversary on the 8th.

To commemorate its 70th anniversary, SK Networks announced on the 9th that all employees participated in the “Community and Employee Social Contribution Networking Project” (hereinafter referred to as the Earth Networking Project), supporting local communities and vulnerable groups both online and offline.

On the afternoon of the 7th, SK Networks carried out about 10 volunteer activities in areas near its offices in Jongno-gu, Jung-gu, and Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Free meals and food distribution were provided to marginalized groups at Myeongdong Cathedral and the “Gabriel’s House.” At the Sungin Senior Center and Yongsan Public Workshop for the Disabled, meaningful time was spent assisting disabled individuals with self-support work. Additionally, activities included cleaning in the jjokbangchon (small room village) and purification efforts at Cheonggyecheon Stream and Namsan Park. For employees who found outdoor activities difficult, “untact volunteer activities” were offered, such as making natural humidifiers and grain heating pack kits for vulnerable groups.

CEO Lee Ho-jung visited the eco-friendly forest developed on a 3,000-pyeong site at Yeoui Saetgang Ecological Park, which SK Networks and Mintit have been cultivating since 2021, to inspect saplings and remove harmful plants. On the same day, employees from the subsidiary SK Rent-a-Car also participated in volunteer activities. SK Magic visited four children’s centers in the Hwaseong area on the 4th, delivering 100 companion plants and air purifiers.

Kim Hyung-joo, head of the SK Networks SV Promotion Team, said, “We planned the Earth Networking Project with the consensus of our employees that activities repaying the support and encouragement we have received from neighbors and society over 70 years best represent the meaning of our anniversary.” He added, “We will continue to operate management activities and volunteer programs that add social value together with various investee companies.”

To celebrate its 70th anniversary, SK Networks published the “SK Networks 70-Year History.” Before the volunteer activities, all employees shared lunch featuring seven-colored cold noodles and seven-colored rice cakes to encourage one another.

On the occasion of SK Networks' 70th anniversary, CEO Lee Ho-jung and team members are volunteering for forest care at Yeoui Saetgang Park. Photo by SK Networks

CEO Lee Ho-jung emphasized, “The 70 years of SK Networks have been a history of ‘change and innovation,’ constantly breaking its own limits to faithfully fulfill the role demanded of companies by the nation and the times.” He added, “For the pride we have taken in our contributions to the development of the national economy and citizens’ lives to continue into the future, we must actively overcome the crises we face through continuous change and challenge to pioneer new paths.”

He further stated, “At the new starting line toward becoming a 100-year company, I ask everyone to unite all the capabilities accumulated so far and take the lead in securing overwhelming competitive advantages in all areas of management, including business, and leap forward as a company that contributes more significantly to society and the industrial ecosystem.”

SK Networks was launched in 1953 as “Seonkyung Textile” by reassembling 15 looms amid the ruins of war, and April 8, the day when founder Chey Jong-geon purchased the factory site devastated by the war, was designated as the founding anniversary. Since then, SK Networks established itself as a textile company responsible for the nation’s clothing with technology-centered products such as “Dakpyo lining.”

In the 1970s, it grew into a comprehensive trading company contributing to Korea’s export industry. In the 1980s, after acquiring Yukong, it achieved vertical integration “from petroleum to textiles” and contributed to SK Group’s establishment as a leading conglomerate in Korea through acquisitions such as Korea Mobile Communications and Hynix.

Since around 2015, SK Networks has transformed into a company centered on mobility and home appliance rental businesses, and recently it has been accelerating its transition into a “business-type investment company” focusing on growth through investments. In particular, it is strengthening investments in domestic and international technology-based early-stage companies with a focus on Digital Transformation, Web3, and Sustainability.

In February this year, SK Networks held its first global investment business briefing, announcing a strategy to serve as a gatekeeper for global innovation. Recently, it also announced plans to enhance shareholder value through share buybacks and cancellations, and on the 5th, it canceled treasury shares worth 70 billion KRW.

Meanwhile, SK Group published a collection of anecdotes and quotes from founder Chey Jong-geon and former chairman Chey Jong-hyun to mark its 70th anniversary.

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