SK Group expects its export volume to surpass 120 trillion won for the first time this year. The sharp increase in exports by SK hynix, driven by surging semiconductor demand, has significantly boosted the group’s overall performance. Industry observers note that it is unusual for a single affiliate’s specific product (high-value-added memory semiconductors) to account for such a dominant share of the group’s total exports. As SK hynix’s performance expands, its corporate tax payments are estimated to reach the mid-5 trillion won range by the end of the year, while its market capitalization has approached 400 trillion won.

On November 25, SK Group announced that its export performance for the first to third quarters of this year totaled 87.8 trillion won. This represents an increase of nearly 20% compared to 73.7 trillion won during the same period last year. If semiconductor demand remains steady in the fourth quarter, the group’s annual export volume is expected to far exceed last year’s 102.5 trillion won, reaching the 120 trillion won range. This would mark the second consecutive year that SK Group’s exports surpass 100 trillion won, setting a new all-time high for the company.

SK hynix is undoubtedly the main driver behind SK Group’s export growth. The memory semiconductor manufacturer accounted for 54% of the group’s exports last year, totaling 55.2 trillion won, and has already reached 56.7 trillion won by the third quarter of this year. Its share of the group’s exports has expanded to 65%. This indicates an even stronger structure in which a particular affiliate is responsible for a significant portion of overall performance. Industry analysts point out that the surge in demand for artificial intelligence (AI) memory, especially high-bandwidth memory (HBM), has solidified an export system centered on high-value-added products. This means that the expansion of global AI infrastructure investments is now directly linked to increased domestic semiconductor exports. As memory prices have soared, SK hynix’s contribution to exports has grown even further.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won stated in his closing remarks at the "2025 CEO Seminar" held on May 9 at the SKMS Research Institute in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, "Only by improving operations well can we build artificial intelligence (AI) on top of that," adding, "Through this process, we will be able to solve the problems we have been contemplating one by one." Photo by SK

원본보기 아이콘

SK hynix’s business performance has led to increases in both tax payments and market capitalization. The company paid 4.3 trillion won in corporate tax through the third quarter of this year alone. This is about 45 times higher than the 94 billion won paid during the same period last year. By year-end, corporate tax payments are expected to reach the mid-5 trillion won range. SK hynix’s stock price has also continued to rise, with its market capitalization approaching 400 trillion won. As of 9:15 a.m. on this day, SK hynix’s market cap stood at 390.5733 trillion won, making it the second largest among Korean companies.

Both inside and outside the group, there is a consensus that SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won’s efforts to improve the business structure, finances, and governance are yielding results. The acquisition of SK hynix in 2012, which added semiconductors, AI, and bio to a business structure previously focused on energy and ICT, is seen as a decisive turning point. An SK official said, “We are contributing to the national economy by continuing investments and hiring centered on future growth businesses such as AI, semiconductors, energy, and bio,” adding, “We plan to invest 128 trillion won domestically by 2028 and to continuously expand annual hiring to more than 8,000 people.”