이 기사는 2022년 02월 17일 08시07분 thebell에 표출된 기사입니다

SK Inc, the investment holding company of South Korean conglomerate SK Group, is considering setting up a unit that would oversee its investing activities in the US, indicating a growing importance of the US market to the company.

The Seoul-based holding company earlier this year formed a task force to explore ideas for the potential creation of a US unit, such as its size and role, in a bid to enhance efficiency of its US investing activities, according to industry sources.

“We are considering several options for efficient management of our investment assets in the US, but nothing has been finalized yet,” a representative for SK Inc said.

The task force is led by Nam Jung-hyun, executive vice president and investor relations officer at SK Inc. Nam, born in 1971, studied economics at Korea University and earned an MBA from the City University of New York Baruch College. He previously worked at SK Innovation, accounting firm KPMG and SK Energy.

SK Inc focuses on investments in four areas – advanced materials, biotech, green technology and digital solutions – with sizable exposure to the US and Europe. The company operates four investment units based in South Korea, which are Advanced Materials Investment Center, Bio Investment Center, Green Investment Center and Digital Investment Center.

SK Inc’s US unit, if established, would be responsible for overseeing US investments made by the four centers, potentially boosting synergies between them.

“SK Inc’s key investing areas, such as advanced materials and biotech, are all led by companies based in the US,” an industry insider said.

“Remember that SK Pharmteco, which was founded in 2019 by combining three contract manufacturing organizations in South Korea, the US and Europe, has its headquarters in California. This is also in line with SK Inc’s focus on the US market.”

The US market has become of bigger importance to SK Inc, which defines itself as a strategic investment holding company, with the country accounting for an increasing share of the company’s investments.

There are several successful US investments made by SK Inc. Last year, SES Holdings went public in the US through a merger with special purpose acquisition company. Before the listing, SK Inc owned about 75 billion won ($62.6 million) worth of shares in the electric vehicle battery maker. That stake is now worth more than 400 billion won.

The US investment unit, which is currently under consideration, would not play any role at the group level, sources said.

SK Group had once considered whether to create a position that would supervise the conglomerate’s North America operations, but it apparently ultimately decided to let each of its affiliates handle on their own given the sheer size and diversity of the market.

SK Inc’s four-investment center system is the result of its organizational restructuring in January 2021. Especially, Advanced Materials Investment Center focuses on high value-added advanced materials used in artificial intelligence, big data, electric vehicles, autonomous driving and the like. Green Investment Center invests in renewable energy technologies and other businesses related to low carbon solutions. (Reporting by Eun-a Jo)