Unlocking Potential: How SK hynix’s ‘Happy Tree’ Empowers 25 Disabled Workers in 2026

Ahead of Disability Day on the 20th, I visited Haengboknamu at SK Intelecs’ Hwaseong campus in Gyeonggi Province. Workers were assembling and packing key consumable parts for the company’s flagship ice water purifiers, including storage units and screws. Employees regularly checked training screens and workstations; their focused expressions and precise hand movements reflected the pride they took in each completed component. All 25 production-floor employees working here are people with disabilities. Eighteen of them are classified as having severe disabilities, yet they demonstrated skill levels on par with non-disabled workers.

Haengboknamu, a subsidiary-style firm of SK Intelecs, received certification last December from the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled as a standard workplace for people with disabilities. The site combines disability-friendly work environments and facilities with private-sector implementation of the government’s employment-activation policies — a model of collaborative hiring. In return for providing up to 1 billion KRW (approximately 750,000 USD) in funding to such certified workplaces, the government requires companies to maintain employment for at least seven years. The policy is intended to ensure that people with disabilities — a vulnerable group — can continue to work in stable positions.

Contrary to outside expectations that the workforce would largely consist of people with physical disabilities, Haengboknamu focused from the start on the potential of workers with intellectual disabilities. Noh Gyun-young, Haengboknamu’s CEO, whom I met on site, said he initially had many concerns. Once they began working together, however, the employees absorbed training like sponges and followed instructions more diligently than anyone else. They perform their duties so effectively that their disabilities are hardly noticeable in everyday work.

The company also adopted an unconventional hiring approach. Despite the rental industry’s pronounced seasonal revenue swings, SK Intelecs prioritized employment stability by hiring these workers as contract employees with pathways to permanent positions rather than as short-term contractors. The company’s commitment to real economic independence shows up in compensation: it guarantees wages roughly 20–30% above the statutory minimum, helping build a solid foundation for independent living as full members of society.

The workplace incorporates design and programs that advance disability awareness. In addition to tailored job development, the company runs ongoing training and communication programs to break down barriers between employees with and without disabilities. Seo Jae-hee, head of management, said that through customized training, employees learn tasks step by step and experience a strong sense of accomplishment. Watching them communicate openly with colleagues and grow into key floor staff makes it clear that social prejudices are slowly being dismantled.

Haengboknamu’s ultimate goal is not merely to meet employment figures. The organization aims to provide a foundation where people with disabilities can stand proudly as independent members of society and to realize social value by coexisting with the local community.

CEO Noh emphasized, “The value we seek to create is not just product output; it is the better lives these changes bring to people with disabilities.”