01 — Intro
SK Telecom Developer Relations Manager
김상기
A technical leader with about twenty years in software development, process improvement, and quality assurance. Through DEVOCEAN he has built a community of more than 20,000 developers and continues to grow the ecosystem.
Profile
Beyond code — developers who last longer than any company.
A technical leader with about twenty years in software development, process improvement, and quality assurance. Through DEVOCEAN he has built a community of more than 20,000 developers and continues to grow the ecosystem.
After studying software engineering, he took on roles aimed at raising the quality of products and processes. Coming to see culture, personal branding, and soft skills as long-term advantages, he turned his attention to helping developers stay competitive over a whole career.
He now leads Developer Relations on SK Telecom’s Corporate Culture AX team, working with developer communities to activate the ecosystem and bring AI and other new technologies into practice.
As the author of Beyond Code: The Developer Who Lasts Longer Than the Company, he writes not only about technical craft but about durable growth and career development.
I grow developers who outlast the company they work for.
Currently
Currently
Developer Relations, Corporate Culture AX Team
~20 years
Development, QA, and process improvement
Education
Korea University
Software Engineering
Studied software engineering from foundations through advanced topics, building a systematic view of product development and process improvement.
DEVOCEAN · 2021—
DEVOCEAN combines “Developer’s Ocean” and “Devotion.” It is SK’s platform for growing a developer community and ecosystem. Since 2021 it has worked with more than 20,000 SK ICT developers.
01 · Community · 2021—
SK ICT developer community
DEVOCEAN combines “Developer’s Ocean” and “Devotion.” It is SK’s platform for growing a developer community and ecosystem. Since 2021 it has worked with more than 20,000 SK ICT developers.
02 · Program · 2022—2025
SK expert network
A place for in-house experts to share knowledge and raise the next generation. More than 150 SK experts take part.
03 · Program · 2022—2025
SK ICT
A technical festival that brings SK ICT developers together. Seven editions since 2022; an eighth is planned.
04 · Program · 2022—
SK ICT
A seminar series on practice in the field. 37 editions, with more than 300 participants. DEVOCEAN Young runs alongside it for new and junior developers.
05 · Program · 2024
NVIDIA · Modu Labs
An AI-centered program held in April 2024. In collaboration with NVIDIA, Modu Labs, and others, it examined how to grow the AI ecosystem. More than 100 people took part.
06 · Talk · 2023
SKT SUPEX · Korea DevRel Night
On 1 December 2023 at SKT SUPEX, he spoke on “Six Years of DevRel and Running a Technical Community.” About 200 people attended. At Korea DevRel Night he joined LG U+, AWSKRUG, and GDG to discuss technical leadership and community growth.
1 December 2023 · SKT SUPEX
Six Years of DevRel and Running a Technical Community
About 200 attendees
Hosted by the DevRel community · Korea DevRel Night
Technical leadership and community growth
With LG U+, AWSKRUG, and GDG
Craft and people
01
Software engineering
Architecture, methods, code quality
Process improvement
CI/CD, automation, culture change
Quality assurance
Test strategy, quality metrics, defect management
AI & emerging tech
AI ecosystems, technology-trend analysis
02
Developer Relations
Community, technical events
Leadership & mentoring
Team leadership, mentoring, capability building
Technical communication
Writing, speaking, publishing
Personal branding
Career development, professional identity
Hanbit Media · e-book · 2025–2026
Hanbit Media · Published 30 June 2025
The book shows how soft skills, engineering culture, and personal branding help a developer stay competitive over a whole career. It looks past technical expertise to the value of going “beyond code,” with practical advice for becoming someone who outlasts any one company.
View the booke-book · 2026
Notes written from inside the shift, while AI was changing how we work. Each can be read on the web or downloaded as EPUB.
Fifteen minutes, no login — see what stage your organization is at.
LinkedIn · GitHub · PDF
Write as you would a letter. Talks, collaboration, and press all get a reply.
There is no public inbox. Start here or on LinkedIn. A longer profile is available as a PDF.