Chairman Chey Tae-won of SK Group's 'Ramyeon Mukbang'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, is voluntarily stepping down from the authority of a business leader and becoming a promoter of corporate social value. On the 13th, Chairman Chey appeared on the company’s internal broadcast and cooked ramen in an aluminum pot.

Chairman Chey sliced green onions and separated the egg yolk from the egg white before adding them. He chose young radish kimchi as a ramen partner. He finished by taking a "one-shot" of the remaining broth. At that moment, a subtitle appeared: "If you care about the environment, let’s not leave any food behind."

Chairman Chey took the initiative to promote the SK Icheon Forum, the company’s largest annual event scheduled for August. The Icheon Forum is a platform that invites domestic and international experts in economics, industry, and technology to explore SK’s future.

The ramen eating broadcast was part of a sub-Icheon Forum held online before the main event, with Chairman Chey encouraging employee participation. It is interpreted that he aimed to raise awareness of various issues through the sub-forum ahead of the Icheon Forum, attracting employees’ interest as if appearing on an entertainment program.

This was not a one-time event. Earlier, on the 25th of last month, Chairman Chey unexpectedly entered a meeting room where ideas for promoting the SK Icheon Forum were being discussed and said, "I will promote the Icheon Forum directly through YouTube." In fact, Chairman Chey made a hand heart gesture above his head with an employee. This video was titled "Chey Tae-won Class."

"Chey Tae-won Class" did not end with just one episode. In a mission to "explain Social Value Measurement (SV Account) physically," he humorously attempted to take off his clothes, eliciting laughter from the internal viewers. Chairman Chey has been gaining positive responses from SK employees with so-called "B-grade sensibility," parodying famous advertising slogans by saying, "This is really good, but I can’t express it," among other remarks.