Article URL: https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/business/got-a-hot-date-this-secondhand-sk-hynix-jacket-is-perfect-as-bonuses-raise-companys-cachet/12584030 Comments URL: https://n…

Want to stand out on a blind date? An SK hynix employee jacket, apparently, is now being marketed on a secondhand market as the look that does the trick. A listing on Karrot for an SK hynix-branded jacket for 40,000 won ($27) stood out not because secondhand trading in corporate uniforms, holiday gift sets and company merchandise is unusual, but because SK hynix has recently become one of Korea’s hottest corporate names. The lightly padded jacket, posted on Tuesday, has the SK hynix logo embroidered on the right chest. It was unclear whether it was an official item issued to employees, but the listing quickly drew attention because it appeared to be a corporate product, the title of the post touting the jacket as "perfect for a blind date." Uniforms, holiday gift sets and branded goods from large companies are often traded on secondhand platforms, but this listing drew extra interest because SK hynix has been in the spotlight over performance bonuses. The company’s new cachet has even spilled into comedy. In the fifth episode of Season 8 of Coupang Play’s “SNL Korea" (2021-), a sketch featured a department store employee who judges people by their clothes has an immediate change of disposition upon seeing a person wearing a vest bearing the SK hynix logo. People online have been jokingly referring to the SK hynix employees as "gods," highlighting how desirable their jobs are perceived to be. Record earnings, a surging stock price and expectations of bumper bonuses have all helped turn the company’s logo into a marker of success. SK hynix reported first quarter revenue of 52.58 trillion won, and operating profit of 37.61 trillion won, up 198 percent and 405 percent, respectively, from a year earlier, and its shares closed at 1.44 million won on May 4, up 12.52 percent from the previous session.