Chey Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry and SK Group, advised on the 17th that investors should hold SK Hynix stocks long-term rather than trading them, stating that memory demand will continue rising as AI develops. Speaking at an AI-focused discussion during the Chamber's summer forum in Jeju, Chey said 'memory will continue to be needed, so if you give it time, it will trend upward.' SK Hynix closed at 1,842,000 won the previous day, down 11.53%. Chey positioned Korea's AI strategy as targeting niche markets between the US quality-focused approach and China's price-competitive model, emphasizing the need to export 'intelligence' and computing capacity rather than solely relying on memory chip sales.
Chey Advises Long-Term SK Hynix Holding Amid AI Memory Demand Growth
Chey told forum attendees that while he cannot predict next month's stock price movements, 'buying and selling is not good — holding onto it quietly is a better way to preserve wealth.' He explained that 'AI is still like a 4-year-old child, but memory will inevitably be used as it matures into adulthood,' adding that 'demand will grow exponentially.'
Addressing recent stock volatility, Chey stated that 'stock prices suddenly rising 10-fold is because of this phenomenon,' noting that 'when prospects look good, prices rise, and when they seem less favorable, they drop sharply. Sometimes prices rise too quickly and need time to adapt to reality.' The remarks came as SK Hynix shares fell 11.53% to close at 1,842,000 won on the previous trading day.
Korea Should Target AI Niche Markets Between US and China
Chey outlined a strategic positioning for Korea's AI industry that avoids direct competition with US and Chinese approaches. He stated that 'future AI is not just an industry issue but a national security matter,' diagnosing that 'the US is approaching with a quality-focused model while China's strategy is to gain price advantage.'
He emphasized that 'Korea cannot easily lower token costs nor beat the US in quality,' proposing instead that 'we must build infrastructure and create applications we need on top of it, developing niche markets.' Chey further argued that 'whether it's large language models or applications, Korea must create a situation where we can export and sell to neutral countries caught between the US and China,' stating that 'we shouldn't just keep selling memory but must create and sell computing capacity.'
Chey declared that 'in the future, we must shift our strategy from exporting products to exporting intelligence,' insisting that 'we must create and sell things that are safer than or have unique advantages compared to the US and China. This will become Korea's growth strategy.'
SK Hynix Eliminates Degree Requirement in Hiring Policy
Addressing future workforce competencies, Chey identified 'thinking muscle,' 'adaptation muscle,' 'empathy muscle,' and 'body skills' as essential capabilities in the AI era. He stated that 'future education should not be rote-based but should find what helps human life,' announcing that 'recently SK Hynix declared that university diplomas are not necessary for hiring. The era when you must graduate from university to be considered talent has ended.'
Chey emphasized the importance of human qualities that AI cannot replicate, saying 'even if AI pretends to understand, it cannot empathize. Empathetic hearts and actions will be important in the future.' He also stressed resilience, noting that 'there will be many startups, which means many failures, and people with good recovery ability will be needed then. People must learn from failure and become better.'
AI Should Drive New Work Creation, Not Cost Reduction
Chey argued that the goal of AI development should not be cost reduction. He stated that 'continuously training AI agents to increase productivity does not mean employees will lose their jobs,' advising that 'rather than thinking first about reducing costs, we must find what other work to assign to remaining people.'
He emphasized that 'we must continuously find and create work we didn't do before, work we didn't think of. That's how companies grow,' adding that 'employees can also become all-around players not limited to specific duties, and can work as freelancers in an N-jobber concept, not working for just one company.'
FAQ
What did Chey Tae-won say about SK Hynix stock investment strategy on the 17th?
Chey Tae-won advised investors to hold SK Hynix stocks long-term rather than trading them, stating that memory will continue to be needed as AI develops and demand will grow exponentially. He said that while he cannot predict next month's stock price, holding stocks quietly is a better way to preserve wealth than buying and selling.
Why does Chey believe Korea should target niche AI markets?
Chey stated that Korea cannot easily lower token costs to compete with China nor beat the US in quality. He proposed that Korea should build infrastructure, create needed applications on top of it, and develop niche markets. He emphasized exporting intelligence and computing capacity to neutral countries caught between US and Chinese AI strategies, rather than solely relying on memory chip sales.
