{"id":2203740,"date":"2024-02-07T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T23:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2203740"},"modified":"2024-02-06T17:13:47","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T08:13:47","slug":"chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese chip firm\u2019s investment in South Korea may skirt US trade restrictions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The South Chungcheong Provincial Government in South Korea signed a <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.chungnam.go.kr\/cnnet\/board.do?mnu_url=\/integeratedBoardView.do&amp;board_seq=462449&amp;field03=in&amp;mnu_cd=CNNMENU02362&amp;code=600\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">memorandum of understanding<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with Konfoong Materials International, a Chinese company specializing in semiconductor and display manufacturing. The agreement involves the construction of a production facility in Asan City. The plant, covering 49,500 square meters, is expected to produce ultra-high purity targets for semiconductors and displays, with Konfoong investing $53 million and hiring 200 new employees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The provincial government will support the endeavor by leasing the required land for the factory and assisting in obtaining necessary business permits and construction approvals. The collaboration is expected to enhance South Korea\u2019s semiconductor and display manufacturing capabilities, further strengthening its position in the global market.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why It Matters<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Konfoong\u2019s partnership with the South Chungcheong Provincial Government could be a strategic move to circumvent U.S. regulations. The U.S. Department of Commerce, under its CHIPS and Science Act, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/09\/us-commerce-department-restricts-chips-fund-recipients-on-concerning-expansion\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">imposed restrictions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on beneficiaries expanding semiconductor manufacturing in certain foreign countries for a decade. South Korea\u2019s significant role in advanced semiconductor technology, coupled with U.S. export controls, has further <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/12\/us-and-south-korea-boost-tech-partnership-as-chinas-influence-looms\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fueled the strain<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in diplomatic relations between Seoul and Beijing. Once completed, Konfoong\u2019s South Korean facility could allow the Chinese firm an alternative route to bypass U.S. constraints and leverage South Korea\u2019s technological prowess.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This development also aligns with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/01\/yoons-new-economic-security-adviser-appointment-emphasizes-trade-with-china\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">appointment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of Wang Yun-jong as the third deputy national security adviser in January. Wang\u2019s role was anticipated to include strategizing against U.S. policy impacts, like the CHIPS and Science Act, on South Korea&#8217;s semiconductor sector while maintaining a balance with China. Further, Wang\u2019s previous remark comparing South Korean semiconductor operations in China as \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/01\/south-koreas-new-focus-on-economic-security-reflects-china-us-trade-concerns\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hostages<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d highlights the growing need for Seoul to safeguard against the geopolitical weaponization of supply chains.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-tags\"><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/business-economy\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Business &amp; Economy<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/inter-korean-foreign-relations\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Inter-Korean &amp; Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/technology-cyber\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Technology &amp; Cyber<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The South Chungcheong Provincial Government in South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding with Konfoong Materials International, a Chinese company specializing in semiconductor and display manufacturing. The agreement involves the construction of a production facility in Asan City. The plant, covering 49,500 square meters, is expected to produce ultra-high purity targets for semiconductors and displays, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2203315,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[24,28,29],"class_list":["post-2203740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-briefings","tag-business-economy","tag-inter-korean-foreign-relations","tag-technology-cyber"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Chinese chip firm\u2019s investment in South Korea may skirt US trade restrictions - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chinese chip firm\u2019s investment in South Korea may skirt US trade restrictions - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The South Chungcheong Provincial Government in South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding with Konfoong Materials International, a Chinese company specializing in semiconductor and display manufacturing. The agreement involves the construction of a production facility in Asan City. The plant, covering 49,500 square meters, is expected to produce ultra-high purity targets for semiconductors and displays, [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-06T23:00:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-02-06T08:13:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1870\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"johnleenknews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"KOREA PRO\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"johnleenknews\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b9766dba611638edc06a6e0b7078714d\"},\"headline\":\"Chinese chip firm\u2019s investment in South Korea may skirt US trade restrictions\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-06T23:00:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-06T08:13:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/\"},\"wordCount\":308,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/2.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Business &amp; Economy\",\"Inter-Korean &amp; Foreign Relations\",\"Technology &amp; Cyber\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Briefings\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/\",\"name\":\"Chinese chip firm\u2019s investment in South Korea may skirt US trade restrictions - KOREA PRO\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-06T23:00:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-06T08:13:47+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/2.png\",\"width\":1870,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"Samsung workers present their semiconductors, June 30, 2022 | Image:\u00a0Samsung\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Chinese chip firm\u2019s investment in South Korea may skirt US trade restrictions\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"description\":\"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"width\":360,\"height\":50,\"caption\":\"KOREA PRO\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/southkoreapro\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Chinese chip firm\u2019s investment in South Korea may skirt US trade restrictions - KOREA PRO","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Chinese chip firm\u2019s investment in South Korea may skirt US trade restrictions - KOREA PRO","og_description":"The South Chungcheong Provincial Government in South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding with Konfoong Materials International, a Chinese company specializing in semiconductor and display manufacturing. The agreement involves the construction of a production facility in Asan City. The plant, covering 49,500 square meters, is expected to produce ultra-high purity targets for semiconductors and displays, [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/","og_site_name":"KOREA PRO","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","article_published_time":"2024-02-06T23:00:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-02-06T08:13:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1870,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/2.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"johnleenknews","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@southkoreapro","twitter_site":"@southkoreapro","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"KOREA PRO","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/"},"author":{"name":"johnleenknews","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b9766dba611638edc06a6e0b7078714d"},"headline":"Chinese chip firm\u2019s investment in South Korea may skirt US trade restrictions","datePublished":"2024-02-06T23:00:03+00:00","dateModified":"2024-02-06T08:13:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/"},"wordCount":308,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/2.png","keywords":["Business &amp; Economy","Inter-Korean &amp; Foreign Relations","Technology &amp; Cyber"],"articleSection":["Briefings"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/","name":"Chinese chip firm\u2019s investment in South Korea may skirt US trade restrictions - KOREA PRO","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/2.png","datePublished":"2024-02-06T23:00:03+00:00","dateModified":"2024-02-06T08:13:47+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/2.png","width":1870,"height":1000,"caption":"Samsung workers present their semiconductors, June 30, 2022 | Image:\u00a0Samsung"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/chinese-chip-firms-investment-in-south-korea-may-skirt-us-trade-restrictions\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Chinese chip firm\u2019s investment in South Korea may skirt US trade restrictions"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","name":"KOREA PRO","description":"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization","name":"KOREA PRO","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","width":360,"height":50,"caption":"KOREA PRO"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","https:\/\/x.com\/southkoreapro"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2203740"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10407"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2203740"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2203740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2203742,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2203740\/revisions\/2203742"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2203315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2203740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2203740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2203740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}