SK bioscience to Introduce 'RSU' Program for Employees with KRW 17.1 Billion Treasury Stock Purchase

SK bioscience announced on April 29 that it will implement an RSU (Restricted Stock Unit) program for all executives and employees to promote responsible management and enhance shareholder value. To this end, the company will begin purchasing its own shares, targeting approximately KRW 17.1 billion worth of treasury stock by July.

SK bioscience disclosed on April 28 that, to establish a virtuous cycle of growth and reward through an employee stock compensation system, it will acquire around 390,000 shares of its own stock, equivalent to about 0.5% of total issued shares, in installments from this month through July. The company will acquire the treasury shares directly on the open market, and all purchased shares will be used exclusively as a resource for employee compensation.

Through this initiative, the company will implement the RSU program, a performance-based, mid- to long-term compensation system. The purpose is to encourage employees to take an active role in executing strategies aimed at achieving the company’s long-term value creation goals. RSUs are awarded only after certain conditions are met and, unlike stock options that are sensitive to short-term stock price fluctuations, are regarded as an advanced compensation model that aligns the long-term interests of employees and shareholders.

Under the agreement signed with the company this year, SK bioscience employees will be granted shares only after completing a minimum mandatory service period of three years. Through this, SK bioscience aims to encourage long-term retention of key talent and drive sustained increases in corporate value.

Currently, SK bioscience is accelerating its mid- to long-term growth strategy as it seeks to establish itself as a global vaccine and biotechnology company. The 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate "GBP410," co-developed with Sanofi, is progressing smoothly through global Phase 3 clinical trials, and efforts to expand the next-generation pipeline based on the company’s global network are also active. Projects in collaboration with international organizations and agencies—including a universal COVID-19 vaccine, RSV preventive antibody, and patch-type influenza vaccine—are expected to become key growth drivers that further enhance SK bioscience’s corporate value in the future.

The core of this RSU program is that it is designed to provide employees with tangible rewards at the point when the results of these pipelines are realized as increases in corporate value.

Jae-yong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience, stated, “We decided to introduce a performance-linked employee compensation system based on our confidence in future growth. By creating a structure that connects performance with corporate value, we aim to build a foundation for shareholders and employees to grow together, and further enhance our ability to execute on mid- to long-term growth.”

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