"Is It Possible to Look That Happy at Work? Of Course They're Smiling" SK hynix Employees' Expressions Go Viral

SK hynix Employees’ Expressions Go Viral After "Documentary 3 Days"
"The Power of Financial Rewards," "I'm Jealous"—Online Buzz Continues

SK hynix employees who appeared on KBS 2TV's 'Documentary 3 Days.' Screenshot from KBS 2TV's 'Documentary 3 Days' video.

Amid the semiconductor boom that has propelled SK hynix to record-breaking results since its founding, the company continues to attract attention with expectations of the most generous performance bonuses in its history this year. In addition, much interest has been drawn to the bright expressions of SK hynix employees featured on KBS 2TV's 'Documentary 3 Days.'

72 Hours Inside the Heart of the Semiconductor Industry

The recently aired KBS 2TV program 'Documentary 3 Days' captured 72 hours on the SK hynix campus in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. The documentary offered a vivid look at the entire semiconductor industry process, from research and development to production, logistics, and quality verification, highlighting the organic collaboration of tens of thousands of employees.

SK hynix employees appearing on KBS 2TV’s 'Documentary Three Days.' Screenshot from KBS 2TV’s 'Documentary Three Days' video.

One employee said, "I expect that the company will grow more tomorrow than today, and in the coming years, it will become much bigger. Since we all come to work together, I never feel lonely. A tiny semiconductor is made by passing through so many processes, and honestly, I am just as small a part of this company. All these people come together to make semiconductors. I often think that we are very similar to them."

An engineer described their role as "like a doctor diagnosing the condition of semiconductors," expressing a sense of responsibility for filtering out even the slightest defects.

"Is It Possible to Look That Happy at Work?"... Employees' Bright Expressions Go Viral

After the broadcast, what drew the most attention was the employees' cheerful expressions. Throughout the show, SK hynix employees displayed a bright and relaxed atmosphere as they worked. Scenes capturing these expressions quickly spread online.

Employees of SK hynix featured on KBS 2TV’s ‘Documentary 3 Days.’ Screenshot from KBS 2TV’s ‘Documentary 3 Days’ video.

Online commenters responded enthusiastically, saying, "Is it really possible to look that happy at work?" "The power of financial rewards," "Of course you'd be smiling. Work life must be enjoyable," "This is the ultimate motivational video," "So jealous—I want to work there too," "Work must be rewarding if compensation matches the effort," and "I've never seen office workers look so full of life."

Record-Breaking Results and Performance Bonuses

Behind these reactions are SK hynix's recent outstanding results. Powered by surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI), SK hynix reported first-quarter sales of 52.5763 trillion won and operating profit of 37.6103 trillion won this year. These figures represent increases of 198% and 405%, respectively, over the same period last year, and are the highest ever recorded for a single quarter.

The company operates a profit-sharing (PS) system that allocates 10% of operating profit as the fund source. In the market, there is speculation that if annual operating profit expands significantly, the scale of performance bonuses could reach unprecedented levels. Some even project that individual employees could receive bonus payouts in the hundreds of millions of won, fueling even greater expectations.

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