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Six SK affiliates are set to attend the world’s largest electronics trade show, slated for January 2022 in Las Vegas, the most ever in the conglomerate’s history.

SK Innovation, SK Hynix and SK Telecom, which are key affiliates of the conglomerate, and SK Inc, the conglomerate’s holding company, will attend the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 that returned in-person in two years after the Covid-19 pandemic forced a virtual event this year, industry sources said on Tuesday.

Additionally, SK E&S and SK Ecoplant will also attend the trade show, which will mark their first attendance at CES.

It is said that SK formed a task force comprising executives at each of the six affiliates to prepare for exhibitions.

The South Korean conglomerate did not attend CES 2021, which went digital due to the pandemic for the first time since the annual trade show began in 1967. Instead, a group of officials at SK Innovations toured around exhibit booths.

In 2020 SK Innovation, SK Telecom, SK Hynix and SK Inc had a joint booth, featuring its mobility technology from electric vehicle batteries to car infotainment to semiconductor chips. The booth area was 713 square meters, almost eight times larger than that for 2019, reflecting the conglomerate’s drive to focus on innovative technologies.

Many of SK’s top executives visited the show last year, including SK Networks chairman Choi Shin-won, SK Group executive vice president Chey Jae-won, SK Supex Council chairman Cho Dae-sik and SK Innovation chief executive Kim Jun.

With two more SK affiliates attending at CES next year, it is likely that the area of the conglomerate’s exhibition booth will be the largest to date. Some expect SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won could also visit the show this time.

One of the themes of CES 2022 is carbon neutrality. Both SK E&S and SK Ecoplant have been accelerating their push for clean energy. SK Ecoplant last month announced the expansion of a strategic partnership with US-based fuel cell manufacturer Bloom Energy.

SK Inc recently pledged to boost investment in advanced materials, green energy, biotech and digital technology. The holding company is expected to reaffirm its investment plan and detail its vision at CES 2022. (Reporting by Eun-a Jo)