SK Group Executive Appointments: Kang Dongsu and Jaeheon Jung Named Presidents as Rebalancing Accelerates

Practical Leaders Promoted to Key Positions
Kang Dongsu, Finance and Business Development Specialist
Jaeheon Jung, Appointed After Serving in Key Roles
Cha Sunyong Named President of SK Hynix
Lee Hyunghee Promoted to Vice Chairman

SK Group has initiated a major reshuffle of its executive team as it accelerates 'portfolio rebalancing' to strengthen its business fundamentals and improve its financial structure. To enhance execution capabilities during this period of crisis, the group has placed practical leaders with field experience and expertise in key positions, and has also promoted a significant number of young talents to drive generational change. In this round of appointments, the holding company SK Corporation promoted Kang Dongsu, Head of the PM Division and an expert in finance and business development, to President to assist CEO Jang Yongho. The head of SK Telecom was replaced for the first time in four years. Lee Hyunghee, Chairman of the Communication Committee, was promoted to Vice Chairman and joined the SK Corporation Vice Chairmen's group.

On October 30, SK Group announced that it had held an extraordinary SUPEX Council meeting and carried out executive appointments for 2026. The group explained that, through these appointments, each affiliate would swiftly address its immediate challenges and accelerate the transition toward a business structure focused on new growth areas. A group representative stated, "Amid an uncertain business environment, we aim to rapidly push forward with restructuring and business transformation for each operation, and to reinforce future growth engines by placing next-generation leaders at the forefront."

Kang Dongsu, President in charge at SK Corporation. Provided by SK

'Finance-Focused Appointments'... Accelerating Rebalancing

The holding company SK Corporation promoted Kang Dongsu, Head of the PM Division and an expert in finance and business development, to President to assist CEO Jang Yongho. President Kang is regarded as a practical leader who has spearheaded the streamlining of the investment portfolio, the sale of non-core assets, and improvements in the financial structure.

SK Telecom appointed Jaeheon Jung, Chief Governance Officer, as its new President. The telecommunications industry expects President Jung to leverage his extensive public sector experience, as well as his roles as Chairman of the SUPEX Council's Governance Committee and as President of External Relations at SK Telecom, to strengthen the organization and restore internal and external trust. President Yoo Youngsang will move to chair the SUPEX Council's AI Committee, the group's top decision-making body, in what is largely seen as a move to refresh the atmosphere following a large-scale hacking incident.

Jaeheon Jung, President of SK Telecom. Photo by SK

SK On, focusing on the growth potential of its battery business, appointed Lee Yongwook, CEO of SK Siltron, as its new President. The plan is to leverage his expertise in materials and manufacturing from the semiconductor wafer industry to drive innovation in battery processes, thereby enhancing both profitability and quality competitiveness. Together with President Lee Seokhee, he will lead SK On’s business transformation and the stabilization of its global production system.

SKC appointed Kim Jongwoo, who has led its subsidiary SK Enpulse, as President. SKC is restructuring its business around new growth areas such as eco-friendly and semiconductor materials, and President Kim will focus on balancing performance stability with growth investments. SK Ecoplant newly recruited Kim Youngsik, formerly in charge of mass production at SK Hynix, as President. Based on his proven experience in quality management and technological innovation in semiconductor production, President Kim is expected to enhance execution in the company’s environmental, renewable energy, and materials growth sectors.

At SK Corporation Materials CIC, an advanced materials affiliate, CEO Song Changrok was promoted to President and will continue to lead the materials business. The group plans to make high-value-added areas such as semiconductor and electric vehicle materials the main pillars of growth, thereby concretizing SK Corporation’s rebalancing strategy.

Kim Jungkyu, the newly appointed President of SK Square. Photo by SK

'Young Leaders to the Forefront'... Executing Generational Change

Another key aspect of this reshuffle is the full-scale appointment of next-generation leaders. SK Group has placed a younger executive team at the center of its three main growth pillars-AI, energy, and advanced materials-marking a shift toward field-oriented, execution-driven leadership. At SK Hynix, Cha Sunyong, Head of the Future Technology Institute, was promoted to President. He will oversee the development of next-generation memory semiconductor technologies and strengthen the institute’s organization with the goal of securing technological leadership in the global market.

SK Square appointed Kim Jungkyu, Chief of Staff at SK Corporation with extensive global investment experience, as its new President. SK Square has recently been pursuing both investment streamlining and asset restructuring, and President Kim will be responsible for reorganizing the investment system of the group’s ICT affiliates. SK AX promoted Kim Wanjong, Executive Vice President overseeing the cloud and ITS businesses, to President. The company plans to expand its client base and strengthen its business in AI and digital transformation technologies.

SK Innovation E&S appointed Lee Jongsu, Head of the LNG Business Division with strong field expertise, as President. He will work to stabilize operations in the LNG and energy solutions sectors while simultaneously securing new growth drivers. SK Siltron appointed Jung Kwangjin, CEO of its subsidiary CSS, as its new President, and SK Broadband promoted Kim Sungsoo, Head of the Wired and Media Business Division, to President. Both are field experts with extensive practical experience in their respective areas.

Vice Chairman Lee Hyunghee. Photo by SK

The group’s highest consultative body, the SUPEX Council, also carried out appointments in line with the generational shift. Lee Hyunghee, Chairman of the Communication Committee, was promoted to Vice Chairman and joined the SK Corporation Vice Chairmen's group. He will oversee the group’s internal and external communication strategies and take charge of strengthening external relations. In addition, Yoon Poongyoung, CEO of SK AX, moved to become President in charge of the SUPEX Council, where he will accelerate AI and digital transformation-based synergy among affiliates. Yeom Sungjin, Head of the CR Team, was promoted to President and appointed as Chairman of the Communication Committee, where he will oversee the group’s external cooperation functions.

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