Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
SK chair highlights operational improvement to lead in AI
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won speaks during the company's CEO Seminar in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. The event was held from Thursday to Saturday. Courtesy of SK Group
By Nam Hyun-woo
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has called for a back-to-basics approach to securing leadership in artificial intelligence (AI), building on the ongoing operational improvement efforts of the group’s affiliates.
His remarks came at the closing ceremony of the annual CEO Seminar in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, which brought together more than 60 CEOs and executives from SK affiliates. This year’s edition was held from Thursday to Saturday.
“Operational improvement may sound complicated, but it ultimately means getting back to the basics,” Chey said in his closing remarks. “What matters is not simply creating good processes within a company or business, but continuously checking whether they actually work effectively.”
Chey also warned that a company pursuing AI transformation without a solid foundation is bound to fail.
“We need to review the processes we have followed over the past five to 10 years to avoid repeating past mistakes. Only when we excel in operational improvement can we build AI on top of it — and through this process, we will be able to resolve the challenges we have been grappling with, one by one,” he added.
The chairman also emphasized the importance of thoroughly building “domain knowledge,” referring to the specialized expertise and experience accumulated in a company’s core business.
Chey called on the group and its affiliates to position themselves as solution providers for customers in the AI era, building on their memory chip business.
“Beyond simply supplying high-performance memory chips, we must evolve into a business that delivers the most effective solutions to customers, leveraging AI infrastructure such as AI data centers,” he said.
“Let us serve as a catalyst for the development of Korea’s AI ecosystem by uniting the capabilities of our affiliates and fostering open collaboration with partners.”