In Korea, making wishes while watching sunrise on the first day of New Year is believed to be a good way to have a lucky year ahead. From midnight of the last day of December, people often go to wide open spaces like the beaches or mountains to have a great view of the first sunrise.

To share New Year’s hopes and happiness with everyone, SK Innovation has decided to hold a special event to watch sunrise online this year. The company will broadcast the sunrise viewed from its major production base in Korea, Ulsan Complex (“Ulsan CLX”), in an hour from 7AM on January 1^st 2021 – KST (10PM on December 31^st 2020) – GMT) through its official Youtube channel (www.youtube.com/user/askinnovation). The title of this event is “Let’s get back to our precious daily life in 2021! Cheer up!”

The live broadcast of SK Innovation’s sunrise event held on the first day of 2020 attracted 6500 viewers. Many New Year wishes with keywords such as health, exam-pass, love, etc. were posted in the comments. Some shared that it was their first time watching sunrise from the view of an industrial factory and was happy to see the first sunrise of a new year simply by sitting in front of the screens.

Built on a site of about 8.3 km², SK Innovation Ulsan CLX It is the largest oil refinery and petrochemical complex in Korea. There are various good spots to watch the sunrise here. The Youtube broadcast will record at the area where crude oil storage tanks are gathered. With a great view facing the beach, this is a special spot that only the employees of Ulsan CLX can pass through. It is a tradition of Ulsan CLX members to hold the sunrise event here on the first day of every year.

While Ulsan CLX is located in the East, another major production base of SK Innovation – Incheon plant is located in the West side of Korea. Therefore, another meaning of the sunrise event at Ulsan CLX is that “SK Innovation is a company that meets the sun first (from East), and sends the sun latest in Korea (to West). 

 ▲ The live broadcast of New Year’s sunrise on SK Innovation Youtube channel on January 1st, 2020.

“2020 was a very difficult year for many people, so the meaning of greeting next year will be even more special,” said Lim Su-kil, Head of SK Innovation’s Value Creation Center, who organized the event. “Due to the current situation, many people are unable to travel and watch the sunrise, so I hope this event can be a way to deliver our hope and determination for the New Year more earnestly.”