Lee Seok-hee, President of SK On, on Consecutive Electric Vehicle Fires: "We Need to Observe a Bit More"

Revealed at Icheon Forum on the 19th

Lee Seok-hee, President of SK On, is entering the 'Icheon Forum 2024' venue held on the 19th at Walkerhill Hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.

Lee Seok-hee, CEO of SK On, commented on the market contraction following the electric vehicle fire incident in an apartment in Incheon, stating that "we need to observe the situation a bit longer."

On the 19th, Lee made these remarks while attending the Icheon Forum held at the Walkerhill Hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. The electric vehicle and battery markets have recently been experiencing a spread of 'phobia' due to consecutive fire incidents. The battery industry is cautious about attributing the cause of recent fires solely to battery cells, as Battery Management Systems (BMS) or chargers could also be major causes of fires. Lee's comments on this day are interpreted as emphasizing the priority of identifying the cause of the fires and expressing concern over the spread of fear regarding electric vehicles.

Lee said, "(The Icheon Forum) is an event focused on AI, and I came to study how AI technology can be integrated into SK On." Regarding the turnaround to profitability in the second half of the year, he said, "We are internally making efforts to improve processes," and added, "We will do well in the second half." On the merger between SK On and Entum and Trading, he said, "We are preparing various things," and asked to "please watch closely."

Regarding the suspension of construction of the Canadian cathode material plant jointly built by SK On and EcoPro BM with the U.S. automaker Ford, he said, "We are continuing discussions."

On the same day, SK Group opened the 'Icheon Forum,' the group's knowledge management platform, to explore ways to expand the AI ecosystem and internalize the SKMS (SK Management System) spirit. This year marks the 8th Icheon Forum, where intensive discussions on AI will continue. Earlier, at the management strategy meeting held in June, SK Group announced bold investment plans in the AI and semiconductor sectors.

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