SK Group, the nation’s third-largest conglomerate, announced the detailed plans to support the government’s “creative economy” initiative.

“SK will create a task force for the creative economy under the wing of the SUPEX Council committee, the top decision-making body of SK. The group also plans to open innovation centers nationwide in an effort to drive the creative economy,” the conglomerate said in a press release Sunday.

SK Telecom CEO Ha Sung-min will head the new task force.

The innovation centers will be dedicated to developing success cases for the creative economy, the group said. It has already proceeded to open the two innovation centers in Daejeon and Sejong cities, in which the conglomerate will invest 100 billion won to nurture venture firms and talents in the information communication and technology sector.

These moves came after the chief executives of SK’s affiliates agreed last month to create an ecosystem for the coprosperity of SK, small and medium-sized firms, and the nation’s economy.

Through the innovation centers, the group will proceed with a slew of projects to help small firms and start-ups to make a foray into global markets.

SK said it is planning to participate in the Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest mobile trade show to be held in Barcelona in March, with some Korean partners including ISL Korea, an electronic whiteboard maker.

Also launched on Sunday was a steering committee that will be in charge of reviewing SK’s overall projects for the creative economy initiative.

SK’s top executives including SK Group SUPEX Council chairman Kim Chang-geun and SK hynix CEO Park Sung-wook are among the committee members.

SK Group organized a workshop last month in which start-ups could receive consulting services from venture capital firms.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)