SK Group decided to focus on the 'fundamentals of management' based on thorough self-reflection. The plan is to regain stakeholders' trust amid the aftermath of the SK Telecom hacking incident and strengthen its fundamental competitiveness.
SK Group held the 2025 management strategy meeting at the SKMS research center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 13th and 14th, and announced this decision on the 15th. The management strategy meeting is one of the three key meetings of SK Group, along with the Icheon Forum in August and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) seminar in October.
The meeting was attended by Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, Choi Jae-won, vice chairman of SK Innovation, Choi Chang-won, chairman of the SK SUPEX Council, and over 20 CEOs from major member companies.
SK executives shared the rapid changes in the global political landscape and the internal and external crisis triggered by the hacking incident. They agreed that to overcome these challenges, they must return to the essence of management, providing better value to customers and society to regain trust.
SK executives noted that 'the starting point for a relaunch of a trusted SK is to return to the essence of management through thorough reflection.' They stated, 'This is not only essential for securing fundamental competitiveness, but it is also a sure way to create continuous value and gain the trust of society.'
The executives continued, 'Neglecting the basics and principles of operation is the fundamental cause of the crisis.' They emphasized that since customer trust is the reason for SK Group's existence, they must return to the most fundamental questions and reassess what corporations should prioritize.
They reviewed the outcomes and limitations of portfolio rebalance and operational improvement, and discussed measures to strengthen fundamental competitiveness. Since last year, SK Group has been undergoing rebalance through restructuring duplicate businesses, internalizing quality assets, and expanding synergies among future growth businesses.
Additionally, they sought growth strategies centered around artificial intelligence (AI) and synergy measures at the group level. The plan is to go beyond simple technological innovation, making AI the core of the group's future growth strategy and changing the portfolio and management methods.
Under the plan to contribute to the fostering of key national industries such as advanced AI semiconductors, SK Group is pushing for large-scale investments in growth industries, including the semiconductor value chain centered around SK hynix and AI infrastructure such as data centers.