SK Group's Chey Tae-won says AI era demands new standard for talent, calls for collaboration

SK Group chairman encourages KFAS Emerging Scholar Award recipients and outbound scholarship students

Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group and the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies, delivers an address at the KFAS Emerging Scholar Award ceremony held Monday at the KFAS Building in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. [SK Group]

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said the criteria for talent are shifting in the AI era, urging researchers to think carefully about how to collaborate with and apply AI in their own fields.

Chey, who also serves as chairman of the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies (KFAS), made the remarks Monday at the KFAS Building in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, during a ceremony honoring recipients of the inaugural KFAS Emerging Scholar Award and scholarship students preparing to study abroad. "Just as a great tree, once grown, shelters new life beneath it and ultimately forms a forest, I hope each of you will become that great tree in your own place — creating an environment where more people can grow alongside you," he said.

The event drew about 120 attendees, including the three KFAS Emerging Scholar Award recipients, 33 overseas scholarship students, KFAS President Kim Yu-seok, and foundation staff.

The KFAS Emerging Scholar Award was established to support early-career researchers making the transition to independent scholarship after completing their doctorates. This year's recipients are Kim Jin-hwan, a professor at Kyung Hee University's College of Medicine; Yang Jae-seok, a professor in the Department of Geography at Chonnam National University; and Choi Seok-young, a professor in the Department of Journalism, Public Relations and Film at Yonsei University.

In his address, Chey said that while individual contributions matter, far greater change becomes possible when people connect and work together. "The foundation will continue to serve as a platform that enables talented individuals to exchange ideas and collaborate, creating new social value," he said.

He also urged the recipients to remember the Korean proverb "eum-su-sa-won" — think of those who dug the well when you drink from it — and to recognize that their achievements were made possible not by personal talent and effort alone, but by opportunities society provided. "Become someone who gives back to the society that raised you, through your talent and abilities," he said.

Chey Tae-won (third from left), chairman of SK Group and the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies, poses for a photo with recipients of the KFAS Emerging Scholar Award. [SK Group]

Addressing the first-ever recipients of the KFAS Emerging Scholar Award, Chey said the honor was meant to encourage greater ambitions ahead. "What research and effort you put into contributing to the world and driving change from here — that is what will complete the true meaning of this award," he said.

This year's award focused on social science researchers proposing new approaches to social problems, with an emphasis on social innovation. Each recipient receives 40 million won ($26,100) in research support. Beyond funding, the foundation helps emerging scholars build academic networks to grow into world-class researchers.

KFAS President Kim Yu-seok said the award invests in a researcher's potential rather than a completed body of work. "We will develop this into South Korea's premier academic award — one that helps young scholars explore freely and grow into researchers of global standing," Kim said.

The Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies is a public-interest foundation established in 1974 by the late Chey Jong-hyun, the founding chairman of SK Group, guided by the belief that one plants trees with a 10-year vision and nurtures talent with a 100-year vision. In keeping with its commitment to developing talent, the foundation deliberately excluded any company name or founder's pen name from its title. Chey Tae-won became the foundation's second chairman in 1998 and has since continued to expand the scope and methods of talent development in the spirit of his predecessor.

yeongdai@heraldcorp.com