[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyun-ah ] SKTelecom(017670)SK Telecom is pushing ahead with a workforce realignment involving approximately 500 employees this year. This scale means that roughly one in ten full-time employees could see a change in their job duties or department. Compared to the annual regular personnel reshuffles, which typically involved the reassignment of about 300 employees, this represents an increase of about 200 employees. This move is part of the company’s efforts to grow its artificial intelligence (AI) business by redeploying personnel to high-growth areas and restructuring its organizational operations.

According to industry sources on the 26th, SKTelecom is moving forward with a plan to reassign approximately 500 employees this year through organizational restructuring and personnel changes. The exact scale and method of the reassignments have not yet been finalized.

As of the first-half 2026 interim report, SKTelecom had 4,840 regular employees. The 500 employees slated for reassignment represent approximately 10.3% of the total workforce. This goes beyond simply moving some staff to other departments; it involves a comprehensive restructuring of the organization’s workforce allocation.

The total number of employees is also declining. SKTelecom’s permanent workforce decreased by 345 employees (6.7%), from 5,185 in the first half of last year to 4,840 in the first half of this year. Reassignment refers to placing existing employees in different roles or organizations; the number of employees being reassigned does not constitute a workforce reduction.

Transfers to AI Data Center Subsidiaries Also Under Consideration

This workforce realignment is tied to the expansion of the AI business. SKTelecom is structuring its AI infrastructure business into subsidiaries such as SK Hyper, which develops the AI data center business, and SK Horizon, which will handle the operation and expansion of existing data centers. Accordingly, there is speculation that employees with relevant expertise may be transferred to these subsidiaries.

SK Hyper is responsible for developing new business initiatives, such as securing land and power for large-scale AI data center projects and attracting customers. SK Horizon is set to take over SK Broadband’s data center and submarine cable businesses and will be responsible for operating and expanding the existing infrastructure.

However, observers predict that the number of employees transferring to the subsidiaries will not be large. An SK Horizon official explained, “While SKTelecom is currently reorganizing its workforce, the number of employees joining Horizon will be very limited,” adding, “We must also consider the positions of our second- and third-largest shareholders, so it is difficult to accept a large number of employees.”

SK Horizon is preparing to launch under a structure in which SKTelecom holds a 51% stake, while external investors—KKR and the IMM Investment-StoneBridge consortium—hold the remaining 49%. Given the participation of external investors, workforce management must also take into account the business scope and organizational plans of the separate legal entity. SK Horizon is a company being established through a spin-off from SK Broadband, and more than 100 employees who previously managed the data center and submarine cable businesses are expected to transfer to it.

Since SK Hyper is also a separate entity dedicated to developing AI data centers, it is likely that the transfer will focus on personnel necessary for the business rather than involving a large-scale relocation of staff from SKTelecom. It is reported that transfers to SK Hyper, SK Horizon, and other entities will proceed based on the employees’ preferences.

Reallocating Personnel to Growth Businesses… Organizational Operations to Change

as Well The direction of workforce management aligns with the “SKTelecom Growth Gear Strategy” outlined by SKTelecom CEO Jeong Jae-heon on the 8th. CEO Jeong presented a vision to identify new growth opportunities by integrating telecommunications, AI services, and AI infrastructure, and to enhance organizational productivity through AI Transformation (AX).

In addition to its AI data center business, SKTelecom plans to target new markets such as defense and public sector AI, as well as industry-specific AI. In the telecommunications business, the company will promote AI-based personalized customer services and network upgrades. It will also automate repetitive tasks and improve operational efficiency through the use of AI.

Furthermore, the company plans to select employees with diverse experiences and capabilities as “Frontiers” through an internal recruitment process and assign them to core business units. The vision is to enhance synergy across business units by combining AI capabilities with experience gained from existing telecommunications operations, and to deploy personnel to growth areas.

The key to this reorganization lies not in the number of employees being transferred, but in how many are actually assigned to growth businesses and departments requiring AI transformation. With the number of permanent employees having decreased by 345 over the past year and the scale of the reorganization expanding, attention is focused on future workforce management strategies. Whether a voluntary retirement program will be implemented and the specific details of workforce adjustments have not yet been finalized.