On June 25, 2021, Mr. Koh Jong Hwan, the Hanoi Representative of SK Group, handed over a donation of one million USD to the Vietnam’s national Covid-19 vaccine fund in order to support Vietnam in the procurement, vaccination, research and development, and production of domestic vaccines.
The hand-over ceremony was held in the presence of Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long and Korean Ambassador Park Noh-wan.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Heath Nguyen Thanh Long expressed the appreciation for the meaningful support from SK Group and confirmed the continuing efforts to procure Covid-19 vaccines.
“The Ministry of Health has discussed with vaccine suppliers in order to secure sufficient Covid-19 vaccines for Vietnam in 2021," he said. "The financial supports from the business community in general and SK Group in particularly are meaningful to the efforts. We warmly welcome SK’s investment plan into the pharmaceutical and healthcare markets in Vietnam”.
Mr. Koh Jong Hwan, Hanoi Representative of SK Vietnam, said, “SK Group highly appreciates the efforts of the Government of Vietnam, especially the Ministry of Health, in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic. With this contribution, SK Group would like to confirm our commitment to accompany the Vietnamese government and people to overcome this global challenge. SK Group wishes Vietnam success in securing more vaccines and achieving community immunity by the end of 2021”.
Attending the ceremony, Ambassador Park Noh-wan expressed congratulations with SK’s 1 million USD donation, and requested Vietnamese government to actively support for SK’s investments in bio projects and cooperation in health-care sector.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in Vietnam, SK Group has been attentive and proactive in responding to the local situation. In April 2019, SK Group timely donated 10,000 SARS-CoV2 test kits, manufactured by a leading Korean company, to Hanoi People’s Committee in order to support the city’s efforts in controlling the epidemic.
SK Group is the second-largest conglomerate in Korea, with businesses in oil and gas, telecommunications, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, and other industries. The group has invested up to USD 2 billion in Vietnam through the partnerships with top Vietnamese companies such as Vingroup, Masan, and Imexpharm. In addition, SK Group is now pursuing potential investment opportunities in pharmaceutical and healthcare sector in Vietnam.