A good company is not merely a place with good business performance, but it also has to have a good culture, where every member is respected given chances to grow and contributing to the community. SK Incheon Petrochemical, a subsidiary of SK Innovation, is making leading examples of being one with various activities initiated by the company’s members.

In this post, we would like to introduce how SK Incheon Petrochemical is using music to spread positive energy among its employees and their families.

ㅣ “Online family singing contest” – a meaningful event to take the edge off Coronavirus blues

Since the pandemic broke out last year, many people have been found to be suffering from Coronavirus blues (or Corona blue), a term that indicates depression and stress caused by the outbreak of COVID-19. To help everyone cope with the Corona blue, last month, SK Incheon Petrochem has held a special event named “Online family singing contest” (herein after “the contest”) in which not only the company’s members but also their families could join. Among the participants, 6 teams were chosen to compete in the the final round. After recording and filming in a music studio, the videos of these teams were posted on YouTube, and the final winner was determined based on the number of likes/views/comments of each video.

The final result was announced on June 3rd. Um Tae-seok, son of Um Chang-yong, a technical leader in Corporate Culture Design Team, Management Innovation Office, is the winner of the contest. The members who voted for him commented, “If he were a professional singer, I would definitely purchase his album.” Some others said, “He has such a sweet voice, I think we can see him appear on TV soon.”

“I’d like to give my sincere thanks to SK Incheon Petrochemical for giving us such a meaningful chance,” Um Tae-seok said after winning the contest. “I still need to improve a lot, but I will do my best to become a great singer in the future,” he added.

▲ Um Tae-seok, the winner of SK Incheon Petrochem’s “Online family singing contest” held last month, records a song to participate in the contest

ㅣ SK Incheon Petrochem’s in-house music band “Barrels”

“Barrels” is a band formed by members of SK Incheon Petrochemical who have different task, positions at work but share the same interest – music. The band consists of a vocalist, electric guitarist, a bass guitarist, two drummers, and a keyboard player. We had a short interview with the vocalist of Barrels, An Hong-il, a Section Manager of SK Incheon Petrochem’s Aromatic Unit 1.

▲ An Hong-il, the vocalist of SK Incheon Petrochem music band “Barrels”

Q1. What motivated you to join Barrels?

Actually, Barrels is a band that has quite a long history and carries great pride in our company. 8 years ago, when I first joined SK Petro Chemical, Barrels was looking for a vocalist. For someone who always love music and wanted to be a part of a band, it was a good chance, so I applied for the position right away. After passing an audition, I officially became a member of Barrels.

Q2. Did you learn music as a major in the past?

Before I joined this company, I had learnt applied music a little bit. I like music in general, so aside from singing, I also played a few instrumentals. But after a while, I found out I’m best at singing, so I became the vocalist of Barrels.

Q3. What are the good things that you can get through activities with Barrels?

Through Barrels, I can relieve stress and get refreshed after work. Also, by sharing the same hobby with members from various departments, we could develop a stronger bond. These things give me more confidence and help me focus better at work.

Q4. Any other message that you’d like to send?

Due to COVID-19, actually, we haven’t been unable to practice often together. Our band, including me, feels quite sad about the current situation. It’s not only our band but the all members of our company may feel frustrated due to the pro-longed pandemic, which has been limiting many activities. However I believe that if we can try to overcome the current difficulties together, the day when we can go back to normal daily life will come soon. Go Barrels! Go SK Innovation!

You can check our short interview with An Hong-il, the vocalist of Barrels, and enjoy a song delivered by him through the video below (English subtitle included):

We look forward to more activities of SK Incheon Petrochem’s members, and hope such positive corporate culture can be found in each and every business sites of SK Innovation.