Korean chips are no longer stuck Japan cancels semiconductor technology restrictions: 4-year dispute ends
On March 16, after the summit meeting between Japan and South Korea, Japan announced the cancellation of restrictions on the export of semiconductor technology to South Korea. The disputes between the two sides four years ago have subsided, and the problem of Korean semiconductors being stuck by key materials has been resolved.
In July 2019, due to disputes between the two countries on historical issues,Japan announced restrictions on the export of three key semiconductor materials to South Korea, namely photoresist, fluorinated polyimide and hydrogen fluoride,They are one of the important materials in the production of semiconductors and panels, and are also the main source of imports by chip giants such as South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix.
In the field of semiconductor materials, Japan is the largest producer of semiconductor materials in the world. Japan has maintained an absolute advantage in semiconductor materials for a long time. The production of semiconductor chips requires about 19 kinds of necessary materials.Japanese companies have a share of more than 50% in 14 important materials such as silicon wafers, synthetic semiconductor wafers, photomasks, photoresists, and target materials.
After being stuck by Japan, South Korea once announced a huge investment plan and began to support domestic substitution, but it is not easy to break Japan’s monopoly.
The two parties had previously filed a lawsuit against the International Trade Organization for this reason. Now that the restrictions are gone, the lawsuits between the two parties will also be cancelled.
However, the mutual ban on both sides is actually only symbolic. South Korea is an important customer of Japanese semiconductor material manufacturers. Japan’s so-called ban has not substantially hindered exports to South Korea. Materials produced by Japanese companies’ overseas factories can still be sold to Samsung, etc. The company, in recent years, the Korean chip industry has not been unable to survive because of Japan’s restrictions.