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It is said that the US is putting a brake on the plan to modernize SK hynix's semiconductor plant in China. Hynix is in the position that it is not a big problem right now, but between the two countries, our company's troubles are getting deeper and deeper.
Reporter Han Sang-woo reports.
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controversial EUV exposure equipment is a state-of-the-art equipment worth hundreds of billions of won that only a Dutch company called ASML can make.
Semiconductor is a cutting-edge technology as the width of the electric circuit is narrower.
DRAM semiconductors are used in the 14nm process, and foundry semiconductors for smartphone CPUs are absolutely necessary at 7nm or less.
Since the beginning of this year, SK hynix has introduced this equipment to its Icheon plant, and is pushing to introduce it to its Wuxi plant in China.
However, Reuters reported that the U.S. is blocking the introduction of this equipment, saying it could be used to increase China's military power, so Hynix's plan to upgrade its Chinese factory may be stranded.
A Hynix official said, "It is not a problem right now, but we are closely monitoring changes in US-China relations."
The United States, which strongly restrains the transfer of semiconductor technology to China, has recently put a brake on the plan of its own company, Intel, to set up a factory in China.
In addition, our semiconductor companies demanded to provide 26 items of information, including customer information, production process, and order history.
The share of semiconductors in Korea's exports to China has risen significantly from 15% in 2010 to 31% last year, and China's share in sales of Samsung Electronics and Hynix is 30% and 37%, respectively.
In the midst of the US-China supremacy competition, Korean companies are inevitably struggling to keep up with the facts.
(Video editing: Jeong Seong-hoon)