Recently, a jumper emblazoned with the SK hynix logo has been dubbed the ‘sure-win outfit for blind dates’ online and has even appeared on the secondhand market. The mood is that it is being consumed as a kind of ‘symbol’ beyond a simple uniform.

On the 5th, a post offering an SK hynix jumper for sale went up on the secondhand trading platform Danggeun. The seller introduced the item as brand-new and said they had multiple sizes. The price was set at 40,000 won. The listing, billed as the ‘best blind-date look’, drew users’ attention, surpassing several thousand views within a day of being posted.

This trend dovetails with the ‘Hynix meme’ that has been spreading online recently. On social networking services (SNS) and community forums, posts have continued to appear calling apparel bearing the SK hynix logo “the most powerful blind-date outfit right now.”

Broadcasts have also played no small role in amplifying the mood. SNL Korea Season 8 featured a satirical skit set in a high-end clothing store. A clerk who had ignored a shabbily dressed customer changed their attitude after confirming the SK hynix logo revealed on the inside of the clothes. The expression ‘Hynix-neunim’ that emerged in the process spread quickly online.

Parody content then followed. As images were shared showing people walking into luxury shops without hesitation or naturally enjoying expensive consumption, this added to the image of SK hynix as a ‘workplace that symbolizes financial affluence’.

This craze is not unrelated to expectations for earnings. SK hynix has continued to post sharp performance improvements amid a recovery in the semiconductor market and the expansion of demand for artificial intelligence (AI). As a result, interest has grown in the size of performance bonuses. Given the characteristics of a compensation structure funded by a fixed percentage of operating profit, expectations have been reflected that as results increase, rewards can also rise significantly.

While some, based on simple calculations, even mention the possibility of bonuses in the hundreds of millions of won, the actual amounts paid can vary depending on job function, rank, and years of service.

Even so, as the perception that ‘performance directly translates into reward’ spreads, SK hynix is drawing attention in the job market. On online communities, more posts are sharing preparation processes aimed at getting hired, and a new coinage has even emerged that treats hiring as a kind of exam. With the boom in the semiconductor industry intersecting with changes in compensation structures, a particular company is being consumed as a ‘social symbol’.