Chairman Chey Tae-won: "Pursuing Social Value, New Rules in the COVID-19 Era"

SK Group Sends Email to All Employees Emphasizing the 'Power of Thought' to Overcome COVID-19 Environment
"COVID-19 Environment Is Rather an Opportunity for Deep Change" Emphasized

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, emphasized that the management environment shaped by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), which has now become a part of daily life, must be overcome through the "power of thought." This implies that instead of passively being dragged by the management environment changed by the COVID-19 pandemic (global pandemic), it should be regarded as a new opportunity for deep change.

In an email sent to all SK members on the 22nd, Chairman Chey stated, "The changed environment demands the power of thought from us," and added, "It is now not a new choice but a new rule for companies to add empathy and sensitivity beyond social responsibility."

He also said, "We have already established financial story management centered on ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) as a new principle of corporate management and are devising methodologies," emphasizing, "It is not just about showing ourselves through numbers like sales or operating profit, but recognizing performance linked to social value, stock price, and the dreams we pursue as one, which is the most powerful and only survival method."

Last year, Chairman Chey shared his management philosophy face-to-face by completing 100 sessions of 'Happiness Talk,' a town hall meeting style with employees, but this year, considering the changed environment due to COVID-19, he is using email and the company intranet.

He concluded his email with a Chuseok greeting, hoping to inspire ESG awareness, and recommended the documentary "A Plastic Ocean" to watch during the Chuseok holiday. Produced in 2016, "A Plastic Ocean" shows how plastics, which humans easily consume, are destroying ecosystems.

Meanwhile, the day before, Chairman Chey produced a video to comfort and encourage job seekers exhausted by COVID-19 and uploaded it to the SK recruitment YouTube channel. It is unusual for a sitting corporate head to create a video for public recruitment applicants and job seekers. In the video, Chairman Chey encouraged, "At SK, recruiting new employees is the most important process to find members who will create future happiness together," and "I send my support to all of you who are doing your best to achieve your dream of employment."