SK Hynix has officially begun steps to enter U.S. stock markets by submitting a registration statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) related to an American depositary receipt (ADR) listing. The company plans to complete the listing within this year. The offering size and structure and the detailed schedule have not yet been decided.

SK Hynix said on March 25 it submitted a Form F-1 registration statement to the SEC on March 24 on a confidential basis. Because it chose confidential submission, details of the filing are not currently disclosed. The company plans to decide whether to proceed with the final listing after considering the SEC's review of the filing along with market conditions and bookbuilding demand.

A new share issuance is widely discussed as the likely listing method. SK Hynix has previously announced a large-scale cancellation of treasury shares, making a listing using existing shares difficult in practical terms. Funds raised through a new share issuance are expected to be used for memory facility investment.

SK Hynix said it plans to disclose the filing again when a detailed listing schedule is confirmed, or within 6 months. As SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won (최태원) has recently mentioned at an official event that he is reviewing an ADR listing, SK Hynix's U.S. market listing is expected to gather pace.