SK Hynix, whose market capitalization continues to hit new highs, has added further drama to the already red-hot memory industry with “year-end bonus predictions.” Recent reports indicate that, driven by a surge in AI-related memory demand, SK Hynix—the core memory supplier headquartered in South Korea—could achieve an upper limit of KRW 250 trillion in operating profit in 2026. Under its standard 10% dividend rule, the maximum individual year-end bonus could exceed RMB 3 million.

South Korean media, citing views from matchmaking agencies, claim that “matches involving SK Hynix employees are now unconditionally classified as ‘Tier-A’,” while variety shows jokingly refer to SK Hynix’s signature navy-blue work uniforms as “packed with gold.” Macquarie Securities even forecasts SK Hynix’s 2027 operating profit will reach KRW 447 trillion; if the same 10% dividend rule remains unchanged, the average individual bonus in 2027 would be approximately KRW 1.29 billion—nearly RMB 6.1 million.

In its response to Yicai Global, SK Hynix confirmed the authenticity of its policy to distribute 10% of operating profit as bonuses, but emphasized that since both 2026 and next year’s annual financial results remain undetermined, the actual bonus amount cannot yet be predicted—thus diplomatically refuting the accuracy of the widely circulated “RMB 6.1 million bonus” figure.

While these lofty year-end bonus projections may not hold up to scrutiny, a clear disparity in bonus levels between Chinese and Korean employees is undeniable. “We’ve removed the bonus cap entirely—but domestic (Chinese) bonuses still aren’t rising,” said one SK Hynix China employee. “In Korea, bonuses are settled once per year; in China, it’s twice annually.” The employee revealed that if SK Hynix were to pay out RMB 3 million in total bonuses per employee in Korea, Chinese staff would receive less than 5% of that—roughly RMB 150,000. “That doesn’t mean every Chinese employee gets exactly RMB 150,000—we adjust bonuses based on KPI ratings: higher rating, higher bonus. At my peak, I received just over RMB 100,000.” This employee has worked at SK Hynix for over a decade and holds a technical position.

Amid the current “super cycle” in the memory industry, soaring year-end bonus expectations have triggered media coverage declaring memory engineers have overtaken doctors and lawyers as the most sought-after profession among Korean mothers-in-law on the dating market. Yet, in stark contrast to today’s boom, the memory industry’s downturn paints a very different picture. In FY2023, the global semiconductor industry entered a “winter period”: SK Hynix’s total annual revenue declined ~27% year-on-year to KRW 32.77 trillion, and net losses reached KRW 9.14 trillion. “The lowest point was during 2023–2024—there were zero bonuses; it was literally zero,” disclosed the aforementioned SK Hynix China employee.

Multiple industry insiders have raised skepticism about the heavily hyped claims of “average year-end bonuses exceeding RMB 3 million or RMB 6 million.” They stress that “average” figures are misleading. “An average of RMB 3 million is mathematically possible—but certainly not every individual receives RMB 3 million. Senior executives get much more; engineers may earn several hundred thousand RMB; assembly-line workers might get around RMB 100,000,” explained one semiconductor professional. “Take TSMC engineers as an example—they can earn roughly RMB 1 million annually.” Another SK Hynix China employee put it plainly when explaining the China–Korea bonus gap: “Their (Korean employees’) base salaries are much higher—and bonuses are calculated as a multiple of their 12-month salary.”

Currently, SK Hynix operates three major manufacturing facilities on mainland China—in Wuxi, Dalian, and Chongqing—with sales and technical support offices in Shenzhen, Beijing, and Shanghai. Wuxi primarily handles DRAM production; Dalian hosts Solidigm’s NAND factory, established after SK Hynix acquired Intel’s NAND assets; and Chongqing serves as the packaging and testing hub. According to job postings on Liepin.com for the Dalian facility, engineer positions typically offer monthly salaries ranging from RMB 10,000 to RMB 30,000, with a guaranteed 13th-month salary; senior engineers can earn up to RMB 35,000 per month. Beyond salary, SK Hynix offers standard benefits—including paid annual leave—to its Chinese employees. For instance, sales and other support roles generally do not require overtime, but equity-based incentives such as stock options are not offered.

“Management-level positions exist—but they’re all held by Koreans. Chinese nationals cannot advance into management,” stressed the SK Hynix China employee. Several former employees of Korean firms echoed this, noting that stock incentives are essentially never extended to Chinese staff. One ex-Samsung employee described Chinese subsidiaries as functioning more like “sales entities” or “national-level distributors.” “Now, some mainland Chinese professionals are entering mid-level management—TSMC is seeing this too,” noted Wu Zihao, CEO of Ronghe Semiconductor Consulting and former TSMC plant construction expert. “It’s natural for Korean plants to prioritize Korean nationals—but as operations mature in China over time, local managerial talent will inevitably rise. It’s not an absolute barrier.”

From both industry and corporate outlooks, memory will remain a white-hot topic for the next two to three years—ensuring recurring memes about “dating market appeal” and “work uniforms” in popular culture. At its Q1 earnings call, SK Hynix’s CFO stated that demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), in particular, is highly likely to outstrip supply for the next three years—and that this growth will continue to be driven almost exclusively by B2B (to B) demand. This signal also appears in SK Hynix’s official press releases: “Although Q1 is traditionally a seasonal low season, robust demand persists, propelled by expanded investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. By scaling sales of high-value-added products—including high-bandwidth memory (HBM), high-capacity server DRAM modules, and enterprise-grade solid-state drives (eSSDs)—the company has sustained its upward performance trajectory.”

In summary, all the above examples represent classic B2B (to B) demand. This implies that—if memory original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like SK Hynix fail to significantly increase capacity allocation toward consumer-grade products—the memory price hikes we’ve been discussing earlier will continue to ripple through the consumer market, triggering broader product price surges. “Electronic gold” will thus remain a persistent headache for cyber gamers.