SK hynix, a leading global memory chip manufacturer, is piloting a bilingual work policy. This initiative requires employees in select divisions to utilize both Korean and English in their daily operations, aiming to enhance the company’s global competitiveness, according to industry sources on Sunday.
This new approach is being tested within the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure division, a critical unit that frequently interacts with international clients, including Nvidia. The division has recently implemented a rule mandating that all emails and documents be composed in both Korean and English.
The AI infrastructure division, headed by seasoned strategist Kim Ju-seon, is responsible for planning global sales strategies for AI memory chips and developing roadmaps for future generations of products.
Furthermore, SK hynix is transforming the AI infrastructure division into a more English-centric environment. This includes renaming the division with an English title, expanding the use of English within internal systems, and encouraging executives to adopt English nicknames for use in meetings, sources revealed.
“This is a pilot program designed to foster an English-speaking work environment, beginning with the AI infra division due to its extensive collaborations with international customers,” stated an SK hynix official.
The company announced its intentions to integrate English into everyday workplace practices during an internal event held at its Icheon campus in Gyeonggi Province late last month.
The chipmaker is also intensifying employee training programs to support this transition. These include launching global internship opportunities for staff in both research and business capacities and evaluating additional methods to broaden English language usage across the entire company.
This initiative mirrors a growing trend among South Korean technology companies to implement English-based work environments, facilitating better global collaboration.
Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, and Samsung Biologics have recently adopted policies that require documents shared between domestic and overseas offices to be written in English. This aims to mitigate delays and redundancy caused by translation processes.
