SK Pursues "Reform Within Stability"... Jang Yongho, Kwak Noh-jung Retained, Jung Seungil Appointed (Comprehensive)

SK Group Executive Appointments
CEOs of Key Affiliates, Including SK hynix and SK Telecom, Remain in Place
Portfolio Rebalancing to Accelerate

SK Group carried out an executive reshuffle aimed at ensuring stability by retaining its existing leadership, including Jang Yongho as CEO of SK Inc. and Kwak Noh-jung as CEO of SK hynix. It also promoted Kim Sunhyuk, a portfolio management expert and head of strategy at SKC, to president in charge, with plans to accelerate its portfolio rebalancing efforts to fundamentally improve its business structure. In its energy and chemicals businesses, the group strengthened its ability to respond to external risks by building synergies around specialized expertise.

SK Group executives newly appointed or promoted in its 2027 executive reshuffle. Clockwise from the upper left: Jung Seungil, CEO-designate of SK Innovation; Kim Sunhyuk, president in charge at SK Inc.; Song Gyeongyeol, CEO-designate of SK Gas; and Kwon Youngsoo, president in charge at the SUPEX Council. SK Group

SK Group said it held an extraordinary meeting of the Supex Council on the morning of October 30 and shared details of its executive reshuffle. Rather than make a large number of promotions to pursue rapid change, as it did last year, the group opted for innovation amid stability, reassessing the characteristics and expertise of each affiliate's business from multiple angles and reallocating roles. The move is seen as a pragmatic personnel strategy to strengthen the fundamental competitiveness of its core businesses amid uncertainty at home and abroad.

Kim, the newly appointed president in charge at SK Inc., is a portfolio management expert within the group. Building on the results of portfolio rebalancing and operational improvements pursued over the past three years in close collaboration with President Jang Yongho, he will flesh out a growth strategy centered on key value chains, including artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors and energy solutions. Kwak Noh-jung will remain president of SK hynix, while President Ahn Hyun has been reassigned as president overseeing the Americas, and President Cha Sun-yong as president overseeing development, while also serving as head of the Future Technology Research Institute. The newly established Americas division is an organization at the president level based in the United States, created to strengthen ties with local big tech companies. SK Telecom President Jung Jae-heon, who was appointed last year, will also remain in his position.

◆Energy and Chemicals: Proven, Hands-On Leaders Move to the Fore= SK Innovation has named President Jung Seungil, an expert in power and energy, as its new president overseeing the company. Jung was previously president in charge of future growth at SK Inc. He is an energy expert with an understanding of power infrastructure and electricity market structures, including the energy mix and natural gas supply and demand, having served as vice minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, president of Korea Electric Power Corporation and president of Korea Gas Corporation.

Kang Dongsu, president in charge at SK Inc. and head of its Portfolio Management (PM) division, who is regarded as a group expert in strategy and finance, has been newly appointed president of SK Innovation and SK Energy. Drawing on his deep understanding of the energy businesses under SK Innovation and his expertise in strategy and finance, Kang will focus on improving profitability and corporate value by optimizing the business portfolio and enhancing operational efficiency.

The president of SK Enmove CIC will concurrently serve as president of SK Geo Centric. Building on his experience generating profits in base oil and lubricant businesses, President Kim plans to make improving the profitability of high-value-added chemical businesses his top priority.

SK Discovery has named Yoon Byung-seok, president of SK Gas, as its CEO. Yoon will lead efforts to develop the company's mid- to long-term growth strategy. Song Gyeongyeol, head of the Strategy Division, has been promoted and named CEO of SK Gas, where he will work to upgrade the value chain and improve the company's financial structure.

Choi Changwon, chairman of the SK Supex Council. Yonhap News

A next generation of hands-on leaders will also take on key roles at the SK Supex Council. Kwon Youngsoo, head of SK Innovation's division, has been promoted to president in charge at the Supex Council, where he will strengthen synergies among affiliates and carry out the group's preparations for the future. Vice Chairman Choi Changwon will continue to chair the Supex Council next year.

◆Southeast Asia Division Established, President-Level Executive Appointed= SK Group is also strengthening its overseas business leadership to address uncertainty in global markets. In addition to its existing divisions for the Americas, China and Japan, the group has established a division overseeing Southeast Asia, a region with high growth potential, and appointed President Chu Hyung-wook to lead it. The strategy is to build top-tier global competitiveness by accelerating the commercialization of local research and development (R&D) in the group's key businesses, including AI, eco-friendly technologies and advanced materials.

SK Group plans to bring its intensive portfolio rebalancing to a close early, building on bold reform amid stability and a proven system of responsible management.

An SK Group official said, "This reshuffle is intended to strengthen our fundamental competitiveness amid an uncertain business environment and create an opportunity for a new leap forward through proactive business restructuring and technological innovation," adding, "We will accelerate the group's qualitative growth and efforts to enhance corporate value."

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