Shortened payment terms for second- and third-tier suppliers Expanded R&D support for materials, parts, and equipment companies Win-win partnership agreements signed between seven affiliates and their suppliers
On July 2, 2026, Fair Trade Commission Chairperson Joo Byung-ki (fifth from right in the front row) and Choi Chang-won, Chair of the SK SUPEX Council, pose for a commemorative photo with co-prosperity partner companies at the SK–Partners–Fair Trade Commission Co-Prosperity Agreement signing ceremony held at SKT Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul, in the afternoon. (Seoul=News1)
SK Group will advance payment schedules for partner companies and launch KRW 8700 billion in technology and financial support to strengthen the competitiveness of the semiconductor ecosystem. The group intends to improve payment terms not only for primary partners but also for secondary and tertiary partners, and to reinforce its co-prosperity cooperation framework by expanding access to testbed facilities and research and development (R&D) support for semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment (MPE) companies.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission announced on the 2nd that it had signed the “SK–Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Partners Co-Prosperity Agreement” at SK Telecom Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul, with the participation of seven SK Group affiliates—including SK hynix, SK Telecom, and SK ecoplant—and their partner companies. Approximately 4,300 partner companies within SK’s supply network are expected to benefit from this agreement.
Under the agreement, SK and its primary and secondary partners will improve payment terms. SK will shorten the payment deadline for primary small and medium-sized partners to within a maximum of 10 days after closing, taking into account industry-specific characteristics, and will increase the proportion of cash payments and the use of co-prosperity payment mechanisms. Co-prosperity payment is a system that allows partner companies to receive payments earlier by leveraging the credit of large corporations.
In particular, SK Telecom will pay 100% of transaction amounts in cash to small and medium-sized partners within two days of approval through its “Immediate Payment” program. Primary and secondary partners will also reduce payment deadlines for their own partner companies further down the chain and expand the use of co-prosperity payments.
Support to strengthen the competitiveness of the semiconductor ecosystem will also be expanded. SK hynix, together with the government and local governments, plans to invest around KRW 8700 billion to establish “Trinity Fab,” a testbed facility that will allow MPE partners to verify performance before mass production of semiconductors, and to provide access to it free of charge. When conducting joint R&D with partners, SK hynix will also provide grants to share the risk of failure.
Sejong=Jeong Soon-gu
AI-translated with ChatGPT. Provided as is; original Korean text prevails.
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