● SK chemicals and Andong City in “bright” rice farming project

- Humanitarian activity to commemorate Korea`s first cell-culture flu vaccine, SKYCellflu
- Rice cultivation on 9,900㎡ of land in a collaborative project with the city of Andong; Crop to be donated to the underprivileged.



The public and private sectors collaborate for a greater cause.

SK chemicals (Man-hun Park, President) announced on the 23rd of this month that the company will hold a "Rice Planting of Love" event with the city of Andong (Mayor Yeong-se Kwon) in North Gyeongsang Province to commemorate SKYCellflu®, the nation`s first (third worldwide) cell-culture influenza vaccine.

This humanitarian event was conceived to disseminate the results of new technology in society and widely promote Andong, South Korea`s "Mecca" of the biotechnology industry. The colored rice plants are being cultivated on 9,900㎡ of land, and the entire harvested crop will be donated to the underprivileged in Andong.

For this event, SK chemicals planted colored rice plants in the shape of a syringe symbolizing SKYCellflu as well as a message about the city of Andong, the center of Korea`s biotechnology industry, on a plot of farmland located in Angyo-ri, Pungsan-eup, Andong. The crop is to be harvested this October and donated to the city of Andong.

To actively support the activities of SK chemicals, the city of Andong is providing assistance in cultivating the rice, and the resulting harvest is expected to be donated to the underprivileged and low-income families of Andong.

Hong-kyun Lee, the plant manager of SK chemicals Andong, and Deputy Mayor Chang-jin Jeong attended the signing ceremony between SK chemicals and Andong City on the 23rd of this month and pledged to continue to maintain their partnership in the future.

Regarding the event, an SK chemicals official stated, "We want to widely promote the environmentally-friendly cell-culture vaccine SKYCellflu and contribute toward improving our national health and social welfare as a leader in vaccines."

An Andong city official said, "The city of Andong and SK chemicals are pursuing mutual growth through cooperation in a time when the social role of an enterprise is more important than ever. We hope to spark hope and new humanitarian efforts by sharing with the disadvantaged in the area." He added, "I believe that this event will prove to be a good example of the private and public sectors working together toward something meaningful. This occasion will help in spreading the message that the development of enterprises and the well-being of residents will always co-exist."

Currently, SK chemicals is planning full-scale vaccination efforts for SKYCellflu, a cell-culture trivalent influenza vaccine, in the second half of this year after obtaining authorization on December 26, 2014 to market the vaccine domestically. The vaccine is the world`s first cell-culture influenza vaccine for children from six months to 18 years of age. In addition, SK chemicals is preparing to introduce the world`s first cell-culture quadrivalent influenza vaccine.

[Note] SKYCellflu
SK chemicals` SKYCellflu is an antibiotic- and egg-free influenza vaccine developed via cell cultures. Unlike traditional egg-based vaccines that require six months from manufacturing to inoculation, SKYCellflu only needs one-third of the time and has the distinct advantage of being accessible to people who are allergic to eggs or sensitive to antibiotics. SK chemicals` SKYCellflu is South Korea`s first cell-culture influenza vaccine for adults and only the third worldwide. It`s the world`s first cell-culture influenza vaccine targeted for children from six months to 18 years of age.


[Photo]
Aerial photo of colored rice in commemoration of SK chemicals` SKYCellflu, South Korea`s first cell-culture influenza vaccine. The rice will be harvested this October and donated to the underprivileged with assistance from the city of Andong.