SK Corp., CEO Choi Tae-won's 'AI rebalancing' yields results as corporate valuation rises

*This content was translated by AI.

On the 16th, it was analyzed that SK Corp.'s corporate valuation is rising as the business restructuring led by Choi Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, centered on artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors is delivering results.

This comes as SK Group's group-level 'AI rebalancing (business restructuring)' strategy is gaining momentum, following the successful U.S. listing of SK Hynix American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) and improved performance from key subsidiaries.

SK Corp. has been actively pursuing rebalancing to strengthen synergies between AI and semiconductor value chains since 2024, accelerating efforts to boost its corporate valuation.

The results of portfolio restructuring led by Choi (Chairman) are also reflected in financial performance figures. SK Corp.'s revenue grew from 33 trillion won with an operating profit of 1.5 trillion won in the first quarter of 2024 to 36.7 trillion won and an operating profit of 3.6 trillion won in the first quarter of 2026, marking a two-year turnaround.

At the center of this transformation is Choi (Chairman)'s 'AI drive.' In a video message titled 'AI Aspiration' sent to all group members last month, Choi (Chairman) shared the overall direction of AI business and emphasized, "Let's pool our capabilities together to accomplish these goals."

Choi (Chairman) stated, "It is rare to find a company with a portfolio as well-structured as SK Group," and added, "After more than three years, we have now positioned ourselves to ride the AI trend very effectively."

Improvements in performance by key subsidiaries continue. Unlisted subsidiary SK Eco-Planet recorded revenue of 4.9 trillion won and an operating profit of 931.4 billion won in the first quarter of this year, achieving an operating profit nearly three times its full-year figure of 315.9 billion won from last year within a single quarter.

Speed is also being picked up on business restructuring in next-generation energy fields. SK Corp. has established a joint venture (JV) with global private equity firm KKR to launch South Korea's largest renewable energy company and plans to expand its operating power capacity to 10 gigawatts by 2031. The plan involves consolidating scattered renewable energy operations across group affiliates and combining them with strategic investment capital to respond to the surging electricity demand driven by AI expansion.

Choi (Chairman)'s global network also supports the group's AI transition. In 2024, Choi (Chairman) held successive meetings with top U.S. tech leaders, including Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, to explore cooperation in AI and semiconductor fields. Later that November, it hosted the 'SK AI Summit,' expanding collaboration with global AI companies such as TSMC and OpenAI.

Meanwhile, Choi (Chairman) drew attention by recalling the acquisition of Hynix 14 years ago, stating, "It was a decision everyone opposed, but employees proved that choice was correct."

On the 16th, Choi (Chairman) posted on LinkedIn, saying, "The listing of SK Hynix's ADRs on NASDAQ is an important milestone not only for SK Hynix and SK Group but also for the entire AI ecosystem," adding these remarks.

Regarding the 2012 acquisition process of Hynix, Choi (Chairman) recalled, "Many people questioned the decision to acquire at that time. The company was on the brink of bankruptcy, and memory was considered a commodity product."

Nevertheless, regarding the reason for deciding to acquire Hynix, __NAME_0__ stated, "I believed memory would play an even greater role in the semiconductor industry, and I believed that if SK secured memory technology, it could achieve anything."

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*This content was translated by AI.