Why is the US asking Samsung and SK for semiconductor data?

<Anchor> It's

friendly economy time. Today (9th) I will be with reporter Kim Hye-min. Correspondent Kim Soo-hyeong from Washington, we had news earlier, but Korean semiconductor companies have to submit data to the United States, and the deadline is 2pm today?

<Reporter> The

deadline for Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to submit semiconductor-related materials to the United States is 2:00 pm.

In September, the U.S. Department of Commerce asked semiconductors and related companies to respond to a supply chain survey.

Looking at what kind of questions there were, we asked what the recent sales performance was for each product, the location of the three major customers, and the percentage of their sales.

There are a whopping 26 query items, and there are quite a few things that belong to trade secrets.

All semiconductor-related companies, including Samsung and SK Hynix, should answer this question.

If you go to the website of the US Department of Commerce's Federal Register, Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer TSMC has already submitted this data.

Samsung and SK Hynix are also expected to submit, but if you submit this in the morning, it will be reflected on this site in the afternoon.

<Anchor>

Reporter Kim, I have a lot of questions after hearing this news. First of all, as reporter Kim said, it is very sensitive data from the point of view of a company.

<Reporter>

That's right. Customer names and sales are, in fact, highly confidential information that is never disclosed.

Requiring this from private companies in a country like the United States is not easy to understand at first glance.

To put it simply, the reason is that the US views semiconductors from a security point of view.

Failure to secure semiconductors will not only damage the economy but also create holes in the advanced defense system.

In particular, when the Biden government conducted a survey on the supply chain of four major items, including semiconductors, at the beginning of his inauguration, it was found that the supply chain in the United States is very weak and poses a serious threat to the economy and security.

The semiconductor supply chain has a high proportion of China, but it is feeling a sense of crisis that it may be exposed to serious threats.

Korea is also going through a turmoil right now as China blocks urea imports.

It is that the United States can also experience such a semiconductor crisis, and in order to prevent this in advance, we have requested semiconductor companies to submit such an answer this time.

<Anchor>

So, from the perspective of the US government, it is said that it is possible, so is it necessary for a Korean company, not a US company, to submit such sensitive information?

<Reporter> In

fact, companies were very concerned about that.

Then, the Biden government took a step back, but when companies asked to submit data classified by industry, such as those for automobiles or mobile phones, instead of exposing sensitive information such as customer information, they agreed.

Actually, I mentioned that I submitted the data from TSMC in Taiwan first. If you look at this content, only the sales so far and expected sales for this year are written down, and most of the rest are left blank.

However, there are some materials that have been submitted but have not yet been made public, but they appear to contain specific information requested by the US government.

As other overseas companies are in a similar situation, it is expected that Korean companies will refer to this and submit similar content.

<Anchor>

It seems to be submitted with a slightly coordinated content. But this time, it seems to have gone like this, but as our reporter Kim explained earlier, the US government is going to look into everything related to the semiconductor supply chain. You are maintaining a strong stance. We will continue to ask for this in the future. What do you think of the prospect?

<Reporter> As

long as the U.S.-China competition continues like this, we would demand that Korea have more U.S. President Biden held a supply chain countermeasure meeting last month by inviting only allies except China to the G20 meeting.

I emphasized the alliance several times here, but it should be seen as an implicit demand that "we must reduce our dependence on China, which dominates the global supply chain, and to do that, we must stand on the side of the United States."

But Korea is in an awkward situation in the middle.

One-third of semiconductors made in Korea are exported to China, and exports to the US account for only one-seventh of this.

The government and our businesses must work together to find a way not to lose both, but the government's attitude is still worrisome.

When the US previously requested data submission, the Korean government had only said, "We need to respond based on corporate autonomy, etc."

It is said that the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy will go on a business trip to the United States from today and have a meeting with the Minister of Commerce.