Chey Tae-won: "SK hynix Shares Will Trend Upward... Best to Simply Hold"

"Korea Must Rapidly Develop AI Applications"

"Outsourcing Thinking with AI Calls for Training the Mind"

"AI as Personal Assistant Will Lead to More 'N-jobbers'"

Chey Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, commented on SK hynix's stock price, saying, "Memory will continue to be necessary in the future, so over time, it will continue to rise."

On the 17th, during a discussion on artificial intelligence (AI) at the "49th Jeju Forum of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry" held in Jeju, Chairman Chey stated, "The reason SK hynix and Samsung Electronics' stock prices have kept surging by a factor of 7 or 10 from last year to this year is that people have recognized this trend." He emphasized, "If you want to invest in stocks, rather than repeatedly buying and selling, simply holding on to them is the best way to preserve your wealth."

On this day, he participated in a discussion themed "Agenda for AI Growth in the Korean Economy" with Professor Kwon Seokjun of Sungkyunkwan University. Analyzing the AI competition between the United States and China, Chairman Chey said, "AI in the future is not just an industry but a matter of national security." He analyzed, "The United States takes a quality-driven approach, while China adopts a strategy focused on price competitiveness."

He continued, "For Korea, it's neither easy to lower token prices nor especially helpful to try to surpass the U.S. in terms of quality." He pointed out, "The best strategy is for South Korea to rapidly develop AI applications." He added, "Whether it's a large language model (LLM) or an application, it is necessary for us to create them ourselves. Rather than just selling memory, we need to start building and selling computing capacity."

Chairman Chey Tae-won of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (center), Professor Kwon Seokjun of Sungkyunkwan University (right), and Director Lee Jaewook of the Seoul National University AI Research Institute (left) are having a discussion on the theme "Agenda for AI Growth in the Korean Economy" on the 17th at Shilla Hotel in Jeju. Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Professor Kwon responded, "It is necessary to target new markets that fit Korea's current conditions," and added, "Upgrading the entire value chain—including not only AI models but also the AI data centers that can run these models, essential semiconductors, and power plants—could become a major variable in determining the next generation of industries."

As for the talent required in the AI era, four core 'muscles' were suggested: the ability to think, the ability to adapt, empathy, and physical (body) skills. Chairman Chey explained, "While skills for using AI are increasing, we are outsourcing our thinking, doing less of it ourselves. We need to train ourselves to identify what will be truly helpful in our daily lives."

He also said, "A university diploma is not necessary to join SK hynix," stressing, "The era in which only university graduates are hired has come to an end." He further noted, "With the rise of AI, the gap in human ability has almost disappeared. Nevertheless, having the power to think remains essential."

Regarding adaptability, he mentioned, "There will be more people starting new businesses in the future, so it is important to have individuals who demonstrate resilience even after failure." On empathy, he explained, "AI cannot empathize. For humans, having empathy and behaving accordingly will become even more important in the future." He also noted that careers making use of physical skills—such as arts and sports—are unlikely to disappear.

Chairman Chey forecast, "In the era of agentic AI, AI will serve as agents that replicate us, functioning as our secretaries. The existing separation of teams and fixed roles for individuals will vanish," adding, "People will all become 'all-round players,' and freelancers like 'multi-jobbers' will emerge."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.