SK Group Sponsors Large-Scale Cultural Event in New York, USA

Participated as a Major Sponsor in the Summer Festival Hosted by Lincoln Center

SK Group will sponsor a large-scale art festival and Korean cultural events held this summer in New York, USA.

This is part of SK's 'Global Story' strategy, which emphasizes that to do business, one must first earn the respect and empathy of local stakeholders. It also aims to fulfill the company's social responsibility by playing the role of a sponsor that promotes the diversity of Korean culture to the world.

The SK Supex Council announced that five SK Group member companies (SK E&S, SKC, SK On, SK Holdings C&C, SK Eco Engineering) will participate as major sponsors of the 'Summer for the City' hosted by Lincoln Center in New York City from July 14 to August 12. Alongside SK Group, prominent companies in the US will also join as sponsors.

Chairman Chey Tae-won of SK Group [Photo by Yonhap News]

Founded in 1956 by New York City, Lincoln Center is the cultural and artistic hub of New York. It is home to 11 resident organizations including the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, Juilliard School, and the New York City Ballet.

Now in its second year following last year, ‘Summer for the City’ is a large-scale cultural event that New York City proudly hosts. Over the three-month summer season, thousands of artists from around the world present more than 200 programs to the public. Most programs are free except for a few. Last year, over 300,000 attendees enjoyed a variety of cultural events including visual arts, music, dance, and theater.

This year, reflecting the growing global interest in Korean culture, the program added ‘Korean Arts Week.’ Various events ranging from traditional dance performances to digital art will be held during the week of July 19?23.

The highlight of this program is the performance of ‘Ilmu (佾舞 One Dance)’ by the Seoul City Dance Company, featuring creative director Jung Koo-ho. Ilmu is a modern reinterpretation of Jongmyo Jeryeak, a UNESCO-designated Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The performance showcases the essence of K-Arts with overwhelming synchronized choreography that strikes the audience’s hearts, combining elegant beauty and dynamic energy. This New York performance marks their first overseas appearance.

Additionally, an exhibition introducing contemporary Korean art will be held at Rockefeller Center. The event will officially present the current status and future potential of Korean art on the global stage through works by notable artists such as film director Park Chan-wook’s photography, as well as pieces by Moon Sung-sik, Park Jin-ah, Lee Hee-jun, Jung Ha-seulrin, and Jung Hyun-doo, who are gaining attention in the Korean art scene.

Sponsoring ‘Summer for the City’ is the first case of applying SK’s core management strategy, ‘Global Story,’ to a large-scale cultural project. ‘Global Story’ is a management strategy that creates a ‘win-win’ business model capable of gaining empathy from local stakeholders. It is based on the concept that securing respect and understanding from all stakeholders and pursuing their happiness together ensures business sustainability.

Lincoln Center Summer for the City

An SK official said, “SK is continuing large-scale investments in the US, including semiconductors and batteries,” adding, “Through this sponsorship, we aim to form a positive corporate image locally in the short term and gain local support for our US business in the long term.”

SK is expanding its investments in the US focusing on advanced green businesses such as semiconductors, batteries, hydrogen, plastic recycling, and small modular reactors. This underscores the need to build favorable public opinion locally to ensure business sustainability.

Moreover, from the perspective of corporate social responsibility, it also means contributing to raising positive sentiment toward Korea through ‘culture,’ which anyone can relate to regardless of language. Given that SK Chairman Chey Tae-won serves as the chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SK is taking the lead on behalf of the business community.

An SK representative stated, “Going forward, SK will continue to seek various practical measures to pursue the happiness of local stakeholders together.”