"Political Instability Demands Stronger Sense of Duty" SK Restores Former Chairman's Insights Through 'Singyeong Silrok'

Over 130,000 Original Items Preserved, Including Audio Recordings of the Late Chairman
Original Materials from Executive Meetings of the Time Also Archived

"A significant number of people say, 'Isn't the economy going to be in big trouble because of the recent political instability?' But I don't think so. Even if a sudden, unforeseen major political issue arises, our country recovers quickly. We must have the mission that 'the economy must not collapse just because politics is unstable' to prevent economic downturn."

This is a passage where the late Choi Jong-hyun, former SK Chairman, mentioned the sense of mission of business leaders in response to political instability during a New Year's meeting with executives and department heads over 40 years ago. SK Group is releasing the management records and messages of the former chairman, which transcend eras, to the public 27 years after his passing.

In December 1980, Choi Jong-hyun, then Chairman of SK Group, who acquired Yukong, now SK Innovation, is greeting employees in the office on his first day at work. Photo by SK

On the 2nd, SK announced that it completed the ‘Digital Archive’ project at the end of last month, which involved discovering, digitizing, permanently preserving, and utilizing materials related to Chairman Choi’s management philosophy and corporate activities that had been stored for a long time in the group’s archives. SK plans to use the digital archive materials to spread the group’s unique philosophy and the culture of pursuing SUPEX (Super Excellent) performance.

The 'Seon-gyeong Chronicles,' which contain his management activities as a key figure in Korea’s economic leap from the 1970s to the 1990s, will be restored as digital records. Chairman Choi recorded original audio of business performance and plan reports, meetings with members, various meetings, and events. Through this, he aimed to develop the group’s management philosophy and techniques and ultimately raise the level of corporate management in Korea. This approach has been inherited as the ‘SK’s unique record culture.’

The restored materials include approximately 5,300 audio and video items, over 3,500 documents, about 4,800 photos, totaling 17,620 items and 131,647 pieces. The audio recordings of Chairman Choi’s voice alone amount to 3,530 audio tapes. This is such a substantial volume that listening continuously for 8 hours a day would take more than a year.

In the January 1998 meeting of the Federation of Korean Industries chairpersons, Choi Jong-hyun, the former chairman of SK (fourth from the left in the seating), is attentively listening to the presentation. He passed away in August of the same year. Photo by SK

Looking back after decades, Chairman Choi’s remarks contain insights that transcend time. In a 1982 conversation with new employees, he emphasized repeatedly throughout his term the need to break Korea’s relationship-based particularism by saying, "Even in the vast United States, if someone is talented, they employ foreigners, so in Korea, a small land, we must not form factions based on regionalism, school ties, or cliques."

At a 1992 executive meeting, he urged practical research by stating, "R&D staff should experience everything from market management to marketing, and by understanding where money gathers and what technology customers seek, the success rate of R&D can be increased." In the same year, during a meeting with SKC executives, he said, "A floppy disk (a data storage device made of film material) sells for 1 dollar, but if software is included inside, its value increases twentyfold," emphasizing that Korea’s industry should not remain limited to hardware manufacturing. In a report prepared for a meeting with a European country’s crown prince in the mid-1990s, he also proposed environmental standards to overcome the climate crisis.

Additionally, audio recordings include negotiations on oil supply during meetings with high-ranking Middle Eastern officials amid the 1st and 2nd oil shocks in the 1970s, and moments encouraging members who were frustrated when returning the mobile communication business license in 1992.

An SK official said, "Chairman Choi’s management records are treasure-like materials that allow us to feel the concerns and philosophies of entrepreneurs who led Korea’s dynamic era," adding, "Although the volume was very large and the materials were old, making restoration difficult, we were able to greatly improve quality through advanced technologies."