On April 14, SK Group announced that in commemoration of its 73rd anniversary, it has produced an AI video featuring quotes from two generations of the group’s founding leaders and anecdotes from executives, and is sharing it with all employees. The five-minute video features founding chairman Choi Jong-keun (최종건) and former chairman Choi Jong-hyun (최종현). The film begins with the rebuilding of Junkei Textile in 1953 after the Korean War, and looks back on the group’s growth.
The video has been shown on the media wall on the first floor of the SK Sorin Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul since April 13th. It is also broadcast in-house and can be viewed by any SK Group employee. According to the company, production began after SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won (최태원) suggested using AI to share the bold spirit and intellectual DNA of the founding generation with employees.
In the video, the founding chairman reflects on the company’s growth, from the decision to produce nylon, to the success of the Dakpyo lining brand, to the acquisition of Walker Hill Hotel. He recalls, “My belief was, “I can do it, I have to do it, and if I do it, it will be done.” The former chairman, who took over management after the founding chairman passed away in 1973, conveyed the message of “prepare, plan, and keep trying” as well as the process of vertical integration from oil to textiles. The video also introduces the background to the decision to enter the mobile communications business.
SK Group successfully acquired Korea Mobile Communications in 1994 by offering a price four times higher than the market price in a public bid for privatization. This was the foundation that led to today’s SK Telecom and SK Hynix. At the end of the video, a portion of Mr. Choi’s speech for the company’s founding anniversary in 2022 is included, in which he says, “With the fierce motivation, noble spirit, and unwavering core strength that we inherited from both of you, let us make another great leap forward and write a new history.”
This is the first time the company has used AI to create an entire video. Previously, they used CG or hired stand-ins to shoot live-action. The video was created by AI learning from historical materials such as SK Group’s corporate history, the former chairman’s books, and the “Sung Gyeong True Record,” a collection of materials including about 3,000 audio recording tapes that were digitally restored last year. This video was also shown at the 73rd anniversary event held at Seonhyewon in Jongno-gu, Seoul on April 8th.
An SK Group official said, “It’s time for the group’s history of growth, from its founding to oil, mobile communications, and semiconductors, to move forward with AI.” “We hope that the “bold spirit” and “intelligence” left behind by the founding generation, in other words, the unique way of thinking and messages, will serve as a compass and wisdom in a rapidly changing business environment,” the person said.
