SK Group Contributes More Than $1 Million for COVID-19 Relief Efforts in U.S.

SK Group Contributes More Than $1 Million for COVID-19 Relief Efforts in U.S.

Donations help support screening, PPE and emergency responders in local communities across U.S.

NEW YORK, June 23, 2020 - SK group announced today that its companies have pledged more than $1 million in contributions to help communities across the United States as they deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The contributions support local organizations in California, Georgia, Oklahoma and New Jersey that are working to provide their residents much-needed assistance in dealing with a range of issues, including food, protective personal equipment and health screenings. SK group companies’ efforts include:

• SK hynix provided 50,000 surgical masks and a monetary donation to organizations in the San Jose, Calif., area. The masks were donated to the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (VMC) in San Jose. The monetary donation will support organizations including the Silicon Valley Strong Fund, helping low-income families, and Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, one of the largest food banks in the state.
• SK innovation made a donation to support Augusta University’s free screening application for Georgia residents. The gift will be used to support expenses associated with physicians at the Medical College of Georgia and healthcare professionals at AU Health providing free virtual telehealth COVID-19 screening visits through the AU Health ExpressCare app and testing through 11 drive-through collection locations.
• SK innovation donated to United Way of Enid and Northwest Oklahoma for the organization’s COVID-19 Response Fund, which was created to help local residents suffering from COVID-19. The donation will be used to support hygiene kits and IT devices for remote learning.
• SK life science, a subsidiary of SK biopharmaceuticals, made a donation to support the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. SK life science has also contributed to the COVID-19 relief efforts of the Epilepsy Services of New Jersey, a nonprofit that provides essential services to people living with epilepsy and their caregivers.
• SKC Inc. donated 4,400 masks and 180 TYVEK suits to local hospitals and Newton County Fire Department personnel in Georgia to help with low inventory levels of personal protective equipment.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on communities around the world and across the U.S.,” said SK Group Chairman Tae-won Chey. “As part of our core principles, SK strives to have a positive impact on the local communities where our companies operate and our employees call home. We hope the contributions of SK group companies can be a small but significant part of the larger solution in helping the U.S. recover and once again thrive.”

Based in Seoul, South Korea, the SK group includes more than 100 independent operating companies in diverse areas including semiconductors, telecommunications, energy and life sciences. SK companies include 2,000 employees in the U.S. working at sites in 10 states and the District of Columbia.

In addition to the donations, SK group companies continue to invest in expanding their businesses and creating new jobs in the U.S. At SK Night last year in Washington, D.C., Chairman Chey announced that SK companies planned to invest $10 billion in their U.S. businesses over the next few years. SK group can confirm this commitment, despite the challenge as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In April 2020, SK innovation announced plans to expand its investment to $2.5 billion in an electric vehicle battery site in Georgia. The site will employ 2,600 workers when both plants are fully operational.

In February 2020, SK Siltron announced it had closed on an acquisition of a silicon carbide wafer plant in Michigan. As part of the acquisition, SK Siltron will invest in the business to produce materials used to make power components for electric vehicles and next-generation telecommunications networks.

“SK remains confident in the resilience and innovation of the U.S. economy and workforce, despite the challenges ahead,” Chairman Chey said. “As part of the U.S. business community for more than 30 years, we look forward to continuing to grow our U.S. operations and make long-term investments that drive a shared progress along with our employees, customers and local communities.”